Of Love and Happiness
by rainbowsXunicorns
Summary: Now that high school has ended, it's time for Tris to go off to college. In the middle of her junior year, she gets the best surprise from her beloved boyfriend. A wedding proposal.
1. Updates

**Hey guys! Allison here with my sequel to Brown and Blue. It is not necessarily required to read Brown and Blue first, but it may give you some background. If you haven't read it, this is set in the same setting (modern day AU) and there is obviously no Fourtris. I hope you like this story and be sure to check out Brown and Blue if you like this and also be sure to check out _Green_** ** _and Blue Makes..._ about Caleb.**

Chapter One

Tris

"We're over halfway done with the year," Al says. I sigh and nod as I bite off a piece of my roll. "And then next year and then we're done."

Junior year of college kind of reminds me of junior year of high school, well, every year of high school. I feel like dying. Both my parents and my brother, from what I've heard, had an easier time in college than in high school. And while I'm not the total black sheep of the family when it comes to college, I would much prefer being taught all my classes by my sophomore psychology teacher from high school, Ms. Wu. Ms. Wu was one of the sassiest teachers I've ever had and I could not be more pleased I was placed in her class.

"And then we have to find jobs and do everything on our own," I add.

It's not that Al and I don't have to do everything on our own already. After we graduated high school, all of our friends had been accepted into whatever Illinois college they applied for. Will and Christina went to the University of Chicago, Marlene, Uriah, and Lynn went to Eastern Illinois University, Susan went to University of Illinois, and my brother went to DePaul University.

Maybe I am the black sheep.

Al and I attend Colorado State. So we're about a two and a half hour plane ride away and an eighteen hour drive or so, not that I have attempted that, away from home.

We miss our friends from Chicago and our families, but we've made great new friends here!

Skyler Winters, born and raised in New York and came here because she wanted a change. She has the loyal quality Christina has, the friendliness Marlene has, the sarcasm of Lynn, and very similar looks to Susan. Skyler is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She wants to be a veterinarian. I met her freshman year when we became roommates. We were matched up by the school our first year and have chosen to be roommates for the past two years. Secretly she is my favorite out of my new friends.

Victoria Bell is an art major. She comes from Littleton, Colorado. She is very much a combination of Lynn and Uriah. She can be one or the other depending on the day and her mood, but usually she has Uriah's upbeat ways and Lynn's sarcasm as well. She's very enthusiastic about everything. We had some prerequirement classes together sophomore year.

And last, but not least, is Gage Grindeland. He is one of _the_ coolest people in the country. He is very sweet and funny and friendly. He looks kind of like James Rodriguez and is the best fashion coordinator Colorado State has ever seen. When I'm preparing for dates, or Vic, or Sky, he will raid our closets and find the most perfect of outfits for us. Us girls know how to do our makeup, but when it comes to special occasions, we always go to Gage. Him and Al have been in the same situation as me and Skyler; assigned to each other as roommates freshman year and chose to be roommates for the rest of the years.

"It shouldn't be... Never mind."

I laugh. Finding something to do with these degrees is going to be the hardest part, but nothing is impossible.

"Maybe I could start a business where all of us work together. It could be a biology research facility and Victoria can design everything. Skyler can work in a separate section for her practice."

"I like that," he says, "but what can Gage do?"

"Well, he's majoring in design, so not only can he help Vic design the building, but he can give everyone who visits a makeover."that's

Al laughs. "Besides owning this fantabulous company, what will you do?"

I smile and wink at him and say, "I can be the secretary. Gage can keep me company in the waiting room."

"I think Gage and Christina should go into business and take over _What Not to Wear._ "

I sigh and tell him, "I miss Christina."

"Yeah," he agrees. "I do too."

We don't really see each other over breaks. We figure we might as well stay here for spring break. We don't have a lot of money to throw around. In fact we still live on campus until we can afford to buy a house. We work interesting jobs in the summer to save up. That is why we can't see out friends and family in the summer. And winter break is always busy, but Al and I manage to drive up to Chicago when weather permits.

It is so much easier and cheaper to drive than fly.

I don't think I have seen Christina since we graduated. I wish I could find some excuse to go back to Chicago.

"Maybe we could go back to Chicago sometime," I hint. "We could see Christina and Will and our friends and families."

"I think that's a fantastic idea," Al says. "You know, I think we can get back quicker than you think."

"Time flies," I say.

Al and I finish dinner and we do the dishes and stack them carefully. We have to have dinner in our dorm because we are low key broke af. We don't tell people how much we make from our odd summer jobs.

"Do you have to take classes to be a secretary?" Al asks.

"Only if you want to, it's not required."

We shuffle over a few feet to my bed and sit on the edge. Al pulls me closer to his side. I smile and rest my head on his shoulder.

"Skyler will be back soon," I say. "It's almost nine."

Skyler is very lenient as well. She knows how to make herself scarce when Al and I are having a date. And I do the same for her. Neither of us try to have too many dates in the dorm, but Skyler is incredibly understanding. I think she ships me and Al as much as Christina did.

 _Stop thinking about Christina_ , I tell myself. I try really hard not to. If I think about my Chicago friends, I get really sad that I don't get to see them every day.

Sometimes I do get really upset and Skyler or Al and sometimes Gage comfort me as much as possible. I try not to cry, but if I break, I prefer to break in front of Skyler. She understands, her friends and family live even farther than mine.

Al and I still keep in touch with them. We email when we can. I am in contact with Chris, Will, and Caleb the most. I still write to Marlene, Uriah, and Susan. I don't talk to Lynn that much, but I do talk to Jamie sometimes and occasionally Matthew.

Anyway...

Al kisses my head and waits for a while before standing. I automatically stand with him when he does.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I say as I peck his lips.

"Okay," he agrees, kissing me again. He gently pulls me closer and I wrap my arms around his neck out of habit. I have to stand on my toes to reach.

"Get a room," Skyler jokes as she walks in the dorm. Al and I chuckle and pull away to look at her.

"We're in one," Al teases back. Skyler smiles and drops her keys on the counter.

Al kisses me one more time before leaving. I shut and lock the door after he's gone.

"Have fun?" Skyler asks.

"Yep," I say. "You?"

"I didn't have a hot and happening date," she says emphasizing each word, "so not half as much fun as you, I bet." She shoots a wink at me. I roll my eyes and move toward my bed.

"Don't worry," I say, "you have no problem getting 'hot and happening dates.'" She bursts out laughing as she sits on her bed.

"What are guys doing tomorrow, seeing that it's Saturday."

"Al is going to take me on a picnic in the park."

"Cliché, but cute and romantic. Have fun!"

"We will, thank you. What are you doing tomorrow?"

Skyler looks at me with her playful sarcastic smile. "I don't know. Maybe I'll do some homework and then find myself a _hot and happening date._ "

I laugh and take off my shoes as I ready for bed.

I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and change into my pajamas. I take my hair down and wash the makeup off my face. I walk out and Skyler walks in.

I climb into bed and take a brief look at the picture on the bedside table, next to the one Skyler has of her New York friends Norah, Zander, and Lucas. It is of me, Al, Christina, Will, Marlene, Lynn, Susan, and Robert.

Robert started sitting with us at lunch about halfway through sophomore year. Sometimes Caleb would sit with us and he would bring Rick, who coincidentally is very close friends with Al and Chris.

I have a picture of me and my family on the other desk across the room. I call my parents every week to check in on them.

I really hope we can get back to Chicago to visit.

Skyler walks out of the bathroom and notices how deep in thought I am. Whenever I think about Chicago too much, she says something random to make me feel better.

"I think Gage is thinking about becoming an ordained minister online," she says.

I laugh. Skyler never fails to make me feel better.


	2. Picnic

Chapter Two

Tris

It is a nice spring day. The grass is green, it's not bad weather, the air smells like roses and freesia. The birds sing and butterflies flutter past us. But the best thing about this outing is Al. He always thinks of nice things for us to do. Spring break is my favorite break. It's going-outside-for-dates weather. Our time is filled with work during the summer, but at least we can work together.

"It's a beautiful day today," I say.

"You know what else is beautiful?" I blush even though I know what Al is going to say. He says it all the time, but it never gets old. "You."

"This was a good idea," I say. "Thank you for such a wonderful date."

"You are what makes it wonderful."

I lean across the picnic blanket careful not to spill my juice. My eyes close and my lips find his. My heart skips a beat the way it always does when Al and I kiss.

A moment later I pull back. The pollen in the air makes me sneeze. Al chuckles at my tiny sneeze.

"Bless you," he says.

I smile. "Thank you."

For the next forty five minutes or so, Al and I talk about our classes and our new friends. He asks how Skyler is and I ask how Gage is. We talk about how Victoria is doing. She's currently working on a huge art project, but she's going to finish before spring break so she won't have to worry about it.

"Is anyone going home for break?" Al asks. "Gage is staying. He's hoping to get ahead in homework."

"Not a bad idea," I say. "Skyler is going home. I think she really misses her family."

I ignore the aching feeling in my chest that makes me want to see my friends and family. But Al and I don't have the money right now to visit them. Besides we should focus on our degrees. I've also decided to minor in psychology in case business doesn't go the way I want it to.

"Victoria is going for a little bit. It's nice that she was born in Colorado." I nod. Sometimes I question our decision to leave, but I think it was a good choice overall.

We finish eating lunch and put the remaining food and utensils and the blanket in the wicker basket and walk around the park.

"Tris," Al says as he sets the basket down on a bench. "I want to tell you something."

My heart races. I feel it run straight into my stomach. The butterflies that were sleeping were rudely awakened and are zooming around the cage in my stomach.

I suddenly recall something Leslie Knope said. Something along the lines of "once I went to a picnic and the guy said 'don't eat anything, Rebecca's coming.'" What an inappropriate time for me to remember this.

"I have never felt more comfortable with anyone before you. There was always something I felt I couldn't say in front of others. There was this feeling I had that I didn't belong, even among my friends. I was always shy, always the outcast."

I think Al is about to cry, but when I stand closer, he looks almost happy. He takes my hands without a second thought.

"But when you came to Chicago, all of that changed. I feel that I can tell you anything. You make me feel like I belong. That what I say is important."

"That's because it is," I say. "You're the most important person in my life. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for you."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." He lets go of my right hand to swing around, like we're doing a dance, and opens the lid of the picnic basket. He takes something out and holds it tight in his hand.

"Tris Prior, I love you more than anything and anyone in this world and I wouldn't trade what we have for anything in the world."

With the hand that isn't holding mine, he reveals what it is. It's a simple silver band with a small sapphire.

As Al gets down on one knee, he says, "Will you marry me?"

A prickly feeling starts at the back of my eyes until the happy tears fell down my cheeks.

"Is this for real?"

"I would never fake you out like that."

"Yes! Yes! I would love to marry you."

Al slides the ring on my hand and lifts me up by my waist and spins me around. He sets me down finally and I push myself forward a little bit to kiss him.

* * *

When we get back to school, we decide to tell our roommates separately because Gage and Skyler fangirling at once can be a headache. I have made a mental note to never watch TV with both of them at the same time. Especially competition shows. The unwatched reruns of Top Model are hell with Sky and Gage. And me. I praise Al for putting up with us.

"How was your picnic?" Skyler asks when I return. I decide to play it cool.

"It was good. How was your afternoon?"

"It was fine. Vic is coming over."

"Oh, good," I say. "Then I can show you what Al got me."

"Aww! That's something I love about Al," Skyler says. "He doesn't need a special occasion to give you something." I smile and we wait for Victoria.

"Hey girlies," she says. "What's up?"

"Tris has something to show us," Skyler tells her. "Al got it for her." Victoria's eyes go wide and she sits on Skyler's bed next to her, bouncing eagerly.

"What is it?"

I chuckle to myself as I decide to play a game with them. I pick up my phone from the inside pocket of my purse.

"He gave you a phone?" Victoria asks. I shake my head. I point to the ring finger on my right hand.

"A finger?" Skyler says. Her face scrunches up. "That's an awful gift."

"Ring!" Victoria exclaims as she jumps up pointing wildly at me. "He asked you to marry him!" I nod.

Skyler and Victoria scream ecstatically. They both rush forward to hug me. Their screams do not lessen or soften as they get closer to my ears.

"That's wonderful!" Skyler says. "Have you called your family?" I shake my head.

"I will in a few minutes."

"And we were the first to know!" Victoria croons.

I show them my ring at the risk of going deaf. It takes them quite a while to calm down. I push them towards each other so they can talk excitedly.

I smile at my friends and walk into the hall with my phone.


	3. The Calls

**Hey guys! I hustled wanted to let you know I'm going on vacation soon, so I won't be able to update either story, but I will write some chapters! I wanted to post this before I left so here it is!**

Chapter Three

Tris

I enter my passcode, which no one knows except Al. No I didn't tell him, he figured it out on his own because he knows me so well, and I trust him so I have no need to change it. I press the small person icon at the bottom of the left hand side of the screen. I scroll until I reach the M's. I press the 'Mom Cell' button and the hold my phone up to my ear.

It rings six times before she answers. She's more than likely at work, but it should be about her lunch break.

"Hi Sweetie," she says. I can hear the warm, loving, motherly smile in her voice. I miss my mom a lot. "How are you? What's up? How's school?"

"Hey Mom," I say. "School's great. I'm great. I just got back from a picnic with Al."

I try to keep my voice calm, so I don't freak her out. Moms have a way of knowing when things are wrong. Or maybe not always wrong, but different. I want to be calm so when I tell her, she won't have a heart attack at work.

"That's great! How was it?"

"It was really sweet," I tell her. It takes every ounce of self control I have not to give it away with my voice. I bite my lip as I slow my breathing before I can resume speaking. "We went to the park and then we walked around some."

"Aww. How is Al?"

"He's great. We're both great. And um... I guess now is the time to tell you something." I take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and open my mouth, but Mom interrupts with different assumptions.

"Are you pregnant?" I choke on the words in my mouth like they're that really terrible peanut butter your dad buys because he didn't read the shopping list correctly.

"No," I say. "No. No, I'm not." I don't know what else to say. I don't know where she got that idea. Do I seem like I would get pregnant now?

"I'm sorry," she says. "I don't know where that came from. I just assumed that that was it because pregnancy announcements are so... I'm sorry. What did you want to tell me?" She chuckles nervously and waits patiently for my response. I am still surprised that was what she thought of. I shake my head and continue on with what I was planning on telling her.

"Well, Al and I are happy, for a completely different reason. We're engaged."

On the other end of the line, Mom gasps. Her breathing becomes short, like she's hyperventilating, and she's trying not to squeal.

"Are you serious?" she says. "Are you serious? Is this- Are you really?"

"Yes, Mom, really." She starts bombarding me with questions about how he proposed, what my ring looks like, when the wedding will be, yada yada yada.

After I tell her the story of our picnic, I say, "It has a sapphire." And I have to stop to let my mom have her mini-fangirl attack. "And, honestly, we don't know anything about the wedding. We got engaged not an hour ago." I let my mom continue with her excited spiel.

"Does anyone else know?"

"I told Skyler and Victoria because they were at the dorm."

"That's nice," she says. Mom adores Skyler and Victoria, but especially Skyler. They seem to have a lot in common. And, fun fact, Skyler is the second person ever Mom asked to call her Natalie within less than a minute of knowing her. Mom is good at knowing who the good ones are.

"I'm going to call Dad, Caleb, and Chris soon."

"What about the others?"

"I'll post something on Facebook." Mom chuckles and lets me go. She has to get back to work anyway. She got a new job where she works on the school board. It's a little awkward that she's become friends with some of my old teachers. Though I am happy she's close with Ms. Reyes.

Wait. If it's customary to invite your parent's friends to your wedding, that means I can invite Ms. Reyes and maybe Ms. Wu! But do I have to invite Mr. Eaton? I completely forgot about him until this very moment. Whatever. I'll keep on ignoring him. I'll make that decision later. I have to call the others.

After I say goodbye to Mom, I call Dad. Since he works for the state government, I don't expect him to be available at this moment. I leave him a message telling him to call me back.

Excitedly I scroll through the list of names of the contacts and select one close to the top. It's a Saturday, so she should be available.

When she answers her phone, I smile just knowing I can talk to my best friend again.

"Tris? I haven't talked to you in ages! What's up? How are you? How's school? Tell me about your friends. Tell me everything." I laugh. Same old Christina, always needing information.

"I'm great! School's going to kill me, but when hasn't it?" she laughs. "Skyler, Victoria, and Gage are doing well. How are you? How's Will? How's your school? Your friends? Our friends from high school? I want to know about them."

Christina Talks A Lot tells me every detail her brain has processed. She's doing very well. Her and Will are considering moving in together sometime this summer. School is getting better now that she can studies what she wants. She and Will have made some new friends, mainly a girl named Elissa. Some guys named Gabe and Warren and John. Marlene, Uriah, and Lynn are great. It seems they're working hard. Susan is going to be a teacher soon, which is crazy. Robert is doing his own thing. I think him and Victoria have similar interests.

Everything. She tells me everything.

"Not that I don't love hearing from you, but why did you call?"

I decide to tell her point-blank. "I'm getting married."

Christina screams so loudly, I have to hold the phone away from my ear. Even with the distance between my face and my phone, I can hear Will rush over asking her if everything's okay. All Christina can do is chant "Alis, Alis, Alis."

"She's too busy fangirling to tell me what's going on," Will says. "So what is going on? Hi, by the way! It's good to hear from you."

"You too. I just told her that I'm engaged."

Will is so silent on the other end of the line, I think he drops Christina's phone, but it turns out he was only surprised by my news.

"That's great, Tris! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. I'm sure Al will call soon with more details."

"I can't wait."

After ending my call with my best friends, I call my brother.

"Beatrice," he says. He sounds excited to hear from me. "How are you?"

"I'm doing exceptionally well." I start by asking Caleb how school is going for him. He wants to teach high school history, which I find interesting. I could never teach high schoolers if you paid me in the millions. I have no patience for teenagers.

"I'm thrilled to hear that!"

Oh, I miss my brother. I ask him how school is. He says he's going to start student teaching soon. He's trying to get things worked out so he can student teach at Lake View.

"That's wonderful! Go for it."

He tells me about school and how it's been cleaned up in the past few years, which worries me less now.

"So I called to tell you that I'm getting married."

A pause at the other end of the line scares me, but Caleb's reply is enthusiastic. "That's amazing, Beatrice. I'm really happy for you and Al. When's the wedding gonna be?"

"We haven't gotten that far," I say. "We just got engaged an hour ago or so."

"That's great. Congrats! Can I talk to Al?"

"Are you going to give him the brother-boyfriend talk?"

"Of course. I don't care how well he treats you-actually I do, of course, that's the most important thing. You know what I mean. It doesn't matter how much I like him, he is going to hear the talk." I laugh.

"I doubt you're going to intimidate him," I say. He chuckles.

"Well, I'll practice my speech and call back later." I giggle.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later. Hopefully I'll have more details by then."

"Take your time," he says. "Love you, Bea, I'll call you later."

"All right. Love you too."


	4. Getting Started

Chapter Four

Tris

After classes on Monday, Al and I sit down to talk about the wedding details. I tell him that I called my mom and my brother and Christina. Dad eventually called me back and I told him. He seemed supportive and was excited I am marrying Al, even though he gave me a lecture on marrying young.

"You fell in love with Mom when you were sixteen," I reminded him.

"That was different," he had said. "The divorce rate wasn't as high then." I had bit my tongue from telling him that didn't make sense. I just agreed politely and told him I'd talk to him soon.

"When do you want to get married?"

"I want to wait until we've graduated," I say. "I think it will be easier to plan without the stress of school piled on top of the wedding."

"I agree," Al says. "Is there any certain place you want to get married?"

"Is everything up to me?" I tease. Al smiles his beautiful smile that charms me to death. Every time he smiles, I melt. Every time he looks at me, I melt.

"You know I'm just going to agree with whatever you want because I want you to be happy."

"It's your wedding too," I say. "I don't want to make a decision you don't like."

Al leans forward, across the small space between our chairs in the library to kiss my head.

"There's nothing that will make me unhappy about our wedding as long as you are happy. I just want to marry you. We could get married in the courthouse this weekend or elope and I would be fine with it. Or we could have a fanciful wedding in Tahiti. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." He kisses my head again.

I smile. "Did you know that you're the best fiancé of all time?" I lean further across the table than Al had to, and kiss him softly on the lips, letting my smile form against his.

"And you are the best fiancée of all time," he says.

"I want Christina to be there," I say. "And the rest of our friends from Chicago. And our parents and my brother and-"

"Then why don't we get married in Chicago?" he says. "It is much easier to bring five people to Chicago than to bring twenty five to Colorado." And it would lessen any wedding planning headaches.

"That's a great idea sweetheart! But is it really going to be twenty five?" Al takes out his old laptop that looks like it would break down with the click of a button, but is actually as sturdy as a tank. He opens a new file and shifts it on the table so we can both see. The screen is divided by a line, like a T chart.

"Who do you want to invite?"

I take the laptop and place it on my legs. _Who_ do _I want?_

Mom, Dad, Caleb, Christina, Will, Marlene, Uriah, Lynn, Susan, Robert, Skyler, Gage, Victoria, Grandma, Jamie, Sarah Hollis

I hand the laptop back to Al. He quickly types in the people he wants that I left out.

Rick, Mom, Dad, Grandparents 2x

"Okay," I say, "so we're inviting twenty _three_ people. Very close." Not that the number of people matters.

"All right. What else should we plan?"

A thought pops into my head. Why didn't I think of this before? I whip out my phone and shoot off a text to Christina. I apologize for the tackiness of the text, but her reply is far from being offended.

"What did you do?"

"I asked Chris to be my maid of honor." A smile graces his lips and he pulls out his phone.

"I'll be back," I whisper as I peck his lips.

I sprint from the library, up a few flights of stairs, back to the dorm. I hurry and unlock the door. Skyler is on her bed reading a textbook.

"What up?" she says.

"Skyler, you are such an amazing person, and one of my best friends. I love you dearly. Will you be my bridesmaid?" Skyler shoves her book out of the way and jumps off the bed. She flies toward me and wraps her arms around me.

"I was hoping you would ask," she says. "Yes, yes, yes! I would love to be your bridesmaid."

She squeezes me tightly, making it hard to breathe. Finally, she lets go and I let her get back to studying and I walk back to the library. Al stands right outside, leaning against the wall casually, with his bag.

"Got Skyler?" he asks happily.

"Yep. Did you get Will?" He laughs and wraps an arm around my shoulder.

"I did," he says. "I was looking over the lists. Who is Sarah Hollis?"

"She's the friend of mine from Milwaukee. The one I tripped in front of my fifth grade crush."

Al starts laughing. He obviously remembers the story I told him from writing class.

"I want to meet her." I smile and we walk back inside the library.

"What else do we have to plan for the wedding?" I ask. I've never had to deal with wedding planning and am absolutely clueless. I wish I knew someone who was an expert with weddings.

"I don't know," he says. "Let's look it up."

 _Good_ , I think. _I'm not alone._

After we look up how much we have to plan, we put it away for a while. When I get back upstairs, I make a post on Facebook with an old picture of me and Al with a caption of: We're engaged.

I separately email Sarah and ask her to come to the wedding and then decide to erase the email before I send it. I email her the time estimate of the wedding and ask her to be a bridesmaid.

Sarah was one of the few people who wanted to be my friend in elementary school. She was such a great person and I haven't seen her since seventh grade. She was so nice and I miss having her around.

Back on Facebook, my page blows up. Messages and congratulations are tacked onto my post. Friends of mine, family, friends of my parents, and others I don't know. They must be relatives and friends of Al's.

"When do you think the wedding will be?" Skyler asks.

"After next year," I say. "We want time to get stuff ready and to graduate."

Skyler sighs dreamily. "I'm so excited for you guys! Can I make a speech?"

"Of course you can," I say. "Remind me to let you when the time comes."

"I won't let you forget. I'm going to jot down ideas now." I smile and shake my head at her enthusiasm.

As I review some of the comments people are making, I get a notification of an email. I click on the link and read Sarah's reply.

 _Dear Beatrice,_

 _Congratulations! I am so happy for you! I would love to be your bridesmaid at your wedding. And how come I have never heard of this boyfriend/fiancé of yours? Who is he? What's he like? What's his name for starters? Tell me everything. How did you meet? How did he propose?_

 _Everything!_

 _Reply ASAP!_

 _Love always,_

 _Sarah_

I reply to Sarah's email and then shut the computer down. I don't need anything else to distract me from school. So naturally I'm going on tumblr on my phone.


	5. Check List

Chapter Five

Tris

I scroll through the list of things realsimple dot com has given me. Al and I have done quite a few of the tasks in this time frame. There are still many months before the wedding, but we thought we'd get a head start so we aren't swamped at the end of the year with finals. So far we have figured out the guest list and the wedding party and the general venue.

"What else do we need to do this month?" Al asks, looking over my shoulder at the computer screen. I shift the laptop so he can see where I'm looking and I angle my body closer to his just because I want to.

"We have to reserve a date and venue, book the officiant, research photographers, bands, florists, and caterers, and throw an engagement party-if I wish. And that's just for sixteen to nine months to go."

"That sounds like extensive research," Al mutters as he examines the site closer. "More extensive than the report I did on Darwinism last term." I chuckle. Al spent hours beyond hours pouring every ounce of information he had found into that report. He got a spectacular grade on it, of course. My Al is incredibly smart, he just sees his intelligence as hard work.

"To save money," I start, "I think we could cut a few of these things. I mean, do we really need a florist? There are flowers everywhere outside. I just think a florist is useless for our wedding."

"You make a good point," Al says, scrolling back to the top of the page. He stops at the last box I checked off. "But what about your bouquet? Our friends will be so very disappointed if there is no flower toss. Christina will wander into someone's backyard and find flowers for you to toss." I laugh. I could almost see that happening.

"She could run to my pa- That's it! My parents' house. We could get married at my parents' house."

"Really?" I turn in my chair to face him even more, so I can get a better look at his face. At the moment he seems to be considering the idea at least.

"Yeah. There won't be more than twenty five people at our wedding, their house is a good size..." Al smiles at the many memories he has of coming over to my house. The vast majority of those times were for study dates where Caleb would spy on us from the kitchen to make sure we weren't doing anything we "shouldn't" be. I taunted him when Al and I were leaving for Colorado that he wouldn't be here to watch out for us. He didn't like that. His cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and he shot a quick glare in Al's direction, though Al wasn't paying attention.

The other times he came over was for dinner. My parents love Al, especially my mother. They think he is the nicest guy I've ever dated, and that included my kindergarten boyfriend. Of course Caleb likes him too, and my grandmother from what I've told her when she calls.

"I'm sure my parents would be open to it," I say. "Besides they know we're trying to save money. Their backyard is big enough for a reception for thirty people."

"We could make a playlist of songs on one of our phones and play it, so we don't have to hire a band or a DJ."

As Al and I discuss different ideas for other aspects of the wedding, I suddenly remember something that Skyler told me before Al even proposed. What was it? Something about Gage...

"Skyler told me something a few weeks ago that would really come in handy now if I could recall what it was." I jog back through my memories. What was I doing? I was in bed and was thinking about my family when Skyler walked out of the bathroom and told me something to distract me.

" _I think Gage is thinking about becoming an ordained minister online."_

I will ask Gage about that later. I don't know if Skyler was being serious, I hope she was, or if she was just trying to make me feel better, which she did.

"She said that Gage was considering becoming an ordained minister online," I say. "Maybe he could perform the wedding."

For a second both Al and I envision this scene in our heads. Gage is surprisingly serious standing with me and Al at the "altar" in my parents' house. He is a bit subdued, but his guy liner is on point. It is gold and he kind of looks like Cinna. He is certainly entertaining just by officiating the wedding.

I am able to ignore the few guests sitting away from us in the rented white chairs. The only thing I see is Al and I'm barely paying attention to Gage. Christina and Skyler are almost squealing behind me.

When I walk down the aisle with Dad, I see the girls in beautiful blue dresses and the guys look dashing. But Al is all I can see. Dad and I stop at the end of the aisle and he hands me off. Nothing else matters, everything is perfect. I don't trip over my own feet in these stupid heels Christina made me buy. The wedding processional, _A Thousand Years,_ is at a perfect volume. Gage isn't melodramatic. Sarah made it.

Ah! What if Will and Christina get engaged during the wedding? I will be so excited!

I snap out of my reverie for a moment to glance at Al. I wonder how he pictures the wedding going.

~Al~

I don't care about anything, but Tris and how happy she is. I try not to seem too nervous and if I do, Gage leans over and whispers that everything will be fine. I know he's right, but I'm too excited to listen to him.

As the wedding begins, _Just the Way You Are,_ starts to play. Will and Christina walk down the aisle first. Christina's dress is a beautiful sapphire color and it goes well with the lilies she's holding. They take their places on either side of the aisle and are followed by Rick and Skyler. And then Caleb and Sarah.

I haven't told Tris I asked Caleb to be one of my groomsmen, but I think she'll be pleased. Now I don't know what Sarah looks like, but I picture her to have straight blonde hair that hangs loosely to her shoulders with some darker highlights.

Finally, beautiful Tris walks down the aisle with her father wearing a white dress that is not as fancy as some dresses I've seen at second cousins weddings. It looks like a sundress almost.

Ooh, the bouquet toss will be interesting. I think Chris would try really hard to get it, but Victoria will catch it or Susan or even Lynn who won't participate in the flower toss.

Will's best man speech will embarrass me in some way, but I will be grateful.

I wonder how Tris imagines our wedding to go. She's a bit closer to the wedding planning than I am, despite working together on everything.

"We should send out save the dates soon," I say. Her head snaps in my direction like she was distracted by her own wedding daydream.

"I agree," she says. She twists around to pull out what looks like samples from the wedding binder Victoria started for her. "Victoria made these. Her and Gage agreed to help with decorations." They are sample save the dates. The first thing I notice is the color scheme. Tris and I didn't explicitly agree on the color scheme, but I think it's safe to say we have now, thanks to Victoria.

Brown and blue.


	6. Save the Date

Chapter Six

 **April**

~Natalie~

I lock the door behind me after shutting the door. I don't need to, really. Andrew will be home soon from work and will need to get inside. But he has a key too, so it's okay. I put my keys in my purse and hang it on the coatrack under my spring jacket. I remove my shoes and place them in the closet before picking up the mail.

Power bill, phone bill, cable bill... When I was younger, I was always jealous when my mother got mail and I never did. And then I became an adult and the only mail I got was bills. The grass is always greener on the other side.

I set the bills on the counter to pay attention to later and I go to recycle the junk mail that seems endless as well. I almost throw away an envelope addressed to 'Andrew and Natalie Prior' but thankfully the baby blue envelope catches my attention. The return address is from Colorado.

It's happening! It's happening! This is actually happening!

Fortunately Andrew walks in the door as I begin to open the letter/invitation (I'm assuming and hoping). He doesn't even set his keys down, he moves to stand beside me in three steps.

"When is it?" he asks. I shush him as I tear apart the packaging. I toss the envelope aside and find myself looking at a save the date. Blue and brown swirls decorate the glossy edges. There is a sweet picture of Beatrice and Al holding hands, walking in a park. I recognize that park. I believe it's by their school. I've been there a few times when Andrew and I have gone to visit.

In fancy cursive the card reads, "Save the Date! Tris and Al are getting married on July 9, 2022 Chicago, Illinois Formal invitation to follow'

"They're getting married here," I say as I try to keep the tears from falling. Andrew squeezes my shoulders in a one armed hug.

"I still think she's too young," he says.

"Oh, you'd think she's too young when she's thirty five!"

He shrugs and says, "True." He kisses my cheek before putting his keys and jacket away.

~Christina~

I find the stairs here unnecessarily long. It's not a too time consuming walk to Will's dorm, but I don't like the distance between us. For one reason, I want to be closer to him and for another, it makes walking back hard after watching a scary movie. And Will walks with me.

I get to the dorm and the door is already open. It is a little toasty in here. I walk over to Will who is sitting on the couch. He's smiling at something in his hands. It looks glossy, like photo paper. But before I can see what it is he's looking at, an envelope lying on the table catches my intrigue. Well not so much the envelope itself, but the writing on it.

'Will and Christina' a sticky note has been stuck carelessly to to side of our names, probably by Will, that says 'To our maid of honor and best man!'

The return address is from Tris. I gasp and practically throw myself on Will to catch a glimpse of what it is I hope he's looking at.

 _Save the Date! Tris and Al are getting married on July 9, 2022 Chicago, Illinois Formal invitation to follow_

I hold back a fangirlish scream and bite my lip. Will looks at me and hands me the save the date. I can't believe this is actually happening. This very real save the date in my hands feels so surreal to me. It's finally happening and I could not be happier.

I whip out my phone quicker than I ever have. I have never dialed someone's phone number quicker. I hit the speakerphone button and wait.

"Chris-" Tris starts.

"You have no idea how happy I am for you! I know I screamed before when you called to tell me you guys are getting married, but I have never been this excited!"

"Thank you," she says. "We're really glad you and Will are this happy."

"Is Al there with you?" I ask. I begin bouncing in my seat so much, I violently shake the phone and Will must take it from me.

"Right here, Chrissie," he says.

"We are so excited," Will says, "we literally cannot even." I smile.

"Good," Tris says. "You and my parents too."

"Has anyone else called yet?" Will inquires.

"Not yet," she replies.

~Aleena~

I barely have time to start dinner when Lyle waltzes in waving a letter in his hands. It is a blue envelope with a beautiful script scribbled across the smooth paper.

I have to walk closer to see what it says. It is from Albert and Beatrice. I internally gasp and look up at Lyle. He is smiling genuinely. He rips open the top of the envelope swiftly and reaches inside. He pulls out a one sided piece of paper. Except it isn't paper.

 _Save the Date! Tris and Al are getting married on July 9, 2022 Chicago, Illinois Formal invitation to follow_

"That's sweet," my husband says. "They're cute together. She's good for him."

"They're too young," I mumble as my eyes gloss over the words again. Of course I am happy for my son, and even though the wedding isn't for another year and three months, but he will be twenty two. I wasn't married until I was twenty six.

As if Lyle can read my mind he says, "He's different, Aleena. He's his own person. They can make their own choices."

"Do you think there is a reason why they're getting married so soon after college?" I say, hinting as best as I can without saying the words. It

"Yes," he says, "they're in love. And even if that was true, Albert would tell us, and the wedding wouldn't be so far away."

"Maybe she wouldn't be able to fit into-"

"Aleena. Albert is capable of living his own life. Just be happy for him."

I am happy for him. I still think he's too young. But I have nothing against the idea of them as a couple. Beatrice is a nice girl. She has made my Albert happier than I have ever seen him. When they first started dating, I had a feeling she would be something special. For years Albert suffered from depression and I'm assuming he still does. I don't believe any one person can cure another's depression, but she has certainly made things better. She's made things easier for him. How can I not want that for my son?

~Marlene~

I sling my bag over my shoulder as class ends, signifying the end of the school day. A vibration goes off from my back pocket. It's a text from my mom. I have a letter.

Because I stayed in Chicago for college, I have been allowed to stay at home for those four extra years. When I graduate from college, I'm on my own.

I wait by the bus for Lynn and Uriah. As they approach, talking about some class we don't share, I smile and wave in their direction.

"How was your day?" Uriah asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Good. I just got a text from my mom. Apparently I have a letter waiting for me at home."

"Me too," Uriah and Lynn respond in unison. I wonder what letter we would all be receiving.

"Did either of your moms tell you who it's from?" I ask. Lynn shakes her head.

"No," Uriah says, "but I'm certainly very interested to find out."

On our way back to my house, Uriah and I badger Lynn about her recent date. She tries not to make a big deal out of it, but she blushes whenever we mention Jamie. She always changes the subject.

"I wonder what the letter is," she says. There is unlimited possibilities. Probably some school thing otherwise Mom would have told me who it is from.

Stepping off the bus the three of us race to my house like we did as kids after school. Uriah beat me and Lynn like he always did.

Out of breath as we walk inside, I look at the pile of mail. On top lays a letter addressed in fancy handwriting to 'Miss Marlene Daniels' I open the envelope carefully, so I don't rip anything inside. I reach in and pull out a glossy invitation. I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand.

Uriah turns to me stuffing his face with pizza rolls so fast I don't know how he doesn't choke. Lynn moves closer.

"What is it?"

I show her the save the date and begin fanning my face. I almost knock the pizza rolls off the counter, which Uriah would be unhappy about.

"Cute," Lynn says. She hands it to Uriah who finishes the last of the package.

"Finally."

"Why does it have to be so far away?" I grumble. "They're so cute. They remind me of John and Pierce from _Abandon_ a little bit. Or maybe even Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw!"

"Don't think about it," Lynn suggests, "then time will fly."

~Caleb~

Well it's official. I knew I'd be getting this soon enough. I am truly happy for Beatrice and Al, and I'm thrilled Al asked me to be a groomsman, but I can't help but feel bitter.

I still don't have a date!

I need to step up my game and find one.

Huh. Watch I'll start dating this really amazing girl and then she'll dump me right before the wedding. Because why not?

But I am happy for my sister, honestly.


	7. Talking with Friends

Chapter Seven

 **June**

Tris

I feel like I can finally breathe. Junior year of college has ended. The stress and pressure is off for the next couple of months. Well, the distress is done and the eustress is setting in. I'm not that much of a wedding planner, but I will step up my game this summer. There is stuff I need to do during this summer. One thing I would like to do is get confirmation from my parents that I can get married in their living room. If not, I have a backup plan, which is the church.

"What are you guys doing this summer?" Gage asks as he takes a sip of water. The five of us (i.e. me, Al, Gage, Victoria, and Skyler) are having dinner as a celebratory 'get out of school' thing. It's customary we discuss the ups and downs of the year, our summer plans, and even tidbits of gossip that we've heard. That is mostly Victoria's station.

"I'm going back to New York for a few weeks," Skyler says. Aww. That's good. I know she misses her family and friends very much. Family and friends are not a big topic for the five of us because we're all kind of far away from home. Except Victoria, but she's very considerate of our feelings and doesn't say anything.

"Sweet," Gage says. He smiles and lifts his glass slightly as if to cheer her. "I hope you have fun. I hope you take lots of pictures and post them on Facebook. And I really hope you bring us all back souvenirs." We laugh. Skyler tilts her head to the side in a sassy fashion with a smirk, winks at Gage, and drinks her shot. Due to my being the youngest of the class, I have yet to turn twenty one and everyone else can drink but me.

"I'm going to Montana for a week for my cousin's wedding during the fourth of July," Victoria says. She rolls her eyes and downs her shot as well. The rest of us are pretty quiet. We don't know what we can say that doesn't sound offensive in anyway. Personally, I think the fourth of July is a terrible day to get married and Montana isn't... my favorite state.

"Is Madison going with you," Gage teases, though his teasing could be taken seriously. Victoria rolls her eyes again. Madison is the epitome of what we call a PUF. PUF stands for problematic un-fave.

"I'm not letting that girl get anywhere near me." Madison is everything you don't want in a friend, according to Victoria, whose word I trust and hold higher than most. She has a lot of candor.

"Good," he says, "you deserve better friends than her." They smile at each other kindly.

"What are you doing?" she asks him. He shrugs innocently and takes another sip of water. He swishes it around in his mouth before swallowing and answering her question.

"Not sure. I want to travel, but I have no money and I refuse to borrow money from anyone. I might take a short trip to the mountains." I smile. I think that's a nice idea. Al and I went to the mountains once on winter vacation. It was really fun and very romantic. It was one of my favorite vacations I have ever taken.

"Let's not forget the beautiful couple with us," Skyler says. "Are you guys going to plan wedding things?"

"Yeah," I say. "We're actually going to drive up to Chicago for a few weeks. We'll get some things worked out and we can see our families again."

"I expect souvenirs from you too," Gage jokes.

I roll my eyes playfully and think of the wedding stuff I have yet to plan. There's a lot of it. The guest list is out of the way, which is nice. And it turns out that Skyler has found herself a date. Some time in April she started dating this guy Drake. The best thing about him is that he is nice to Skyler. He respects her and cares about her and does his best to be a good boyfriend. What I don't like about him is how lazy he is. He doesn't do anything for himself. She really likes him and he treats her well, so there's nothing I can say. I don't want to get into an argument with her about this.

Victoria and Gage didn't explicitly state they were going as friends, but why not?

"Promise me something," Gage says. "Don't go buying or trying on wedding dresses without my guidance."

"Is this turning into Say Yes to the Dress?" Victoria says. I will never admit that I started watching that show since I got engaged. I watch clips on YouTube or full episodes depending on YouTube's stock. I think Al is a closet fan.

"I would never tell her that she looks like a chubby chihuahua in an upside down umbrella for a dress."

"Don't worry," I say. "I'll wait for you."

"Christina will want to be there," Al says. I smirk. Christina is very honest and while she might not tell me I look like a chubby chihuahua in an upside down umbrella of a dress, she will tell me what she honestly thinks.

"Can't wait to meet her," Gage says as he finishes his water.

* * *

After dinner, Al and I pack our stuff and get ready for the morning. We say goodbye to our friends since we might not see them for a while.

By the time morning comes, we have loaded our stuff into the car. Al stops on the passenger side to open my door for me and kiss my head once.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

"Definitely."


	8. Road Trip

Chapter Eight

Tris

We have been driving for miles. We drove from Fort Collins, Colorado through... some parts of Nebraska. Okay, Al has been driving but we agreed to trade once we get to North Platte in some-odd miles.

"Are you excited to see your parents?" I ask. Now realizing that was a dumb question, I try to retract my inquiry but it's too late.

"Yeah," Al says. "I'm also excited to meet your grandmother." I look over to see the sweet smile on his face whenever he mentions someone in my family. I can never get over how much my family adores Al and how much he admires them in return.

We are stopping in Milwaukee briefly to say hello to my mom's mom. It's been awhile since I've seen Grandma. She is stacking up those birthdays. I just hope she will be able to make it to the wedding. Grandma is a very nice lady. She worked as one of the city's highest leaders back in the day when she adopted my mother. She was also a little bit older than the "average" age for a mom.

Grandma always encouraged Mom to do what she wanted and what she needed with her own life. She remained close with my mom after we moved to Chicago. I didn't get to see Grandma all that much growing up and I am truly excited to see her in a couple of days. I talked with her on the phone about our arrival. I told her all about Al and she is very excited to meet him.

"She's a cool lady," I say. "From what I remember."

We lived in the same town for fifteen years, but it was on different parts of town. I remember seeing her for the holidays every year. I remember her cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving and Caleb and I nearly threw up because the smell was awful. We tried to ignore it and eat our dinner anyway.

My dad's parents died before I was born and my uncle died when I was under eight, so we never went to see my Dad's family.

I refrain from thinking about that and look out the window as we pass by signs on the side of the road. Exit signs, coming up signs, speed limit signs, etcetera. So far all I'm getting from Nebraska is it's a stretch of land that is surrounded by fields and not much else. The I-80 speedway surroundings are a lot prettier in Cheyenne than wherever we are.

"Where are we?" I ask Al.

"Sidney," he says.

Well Sidney, Nebraska is not the best looking city to drive through on the highway. It could easily be a cute little town when you drive through it, but we're going on. Sorry Sidney, Nebraska.

"I'm also excited to meet Sarah," he says. I chuckle.

"You'll see her at the rehearsal dinner."

I have been corresponding with Sarah for the past few months. Right now she's going to college in Madison. She will drive down to Chicago for the rehearsal dinner and, of course, the wedding. She is extremely excited to meet Al as well as my other friends.

"Speaking of the rehearsal dinner," he says, "what are we going to do for that?" We have been financially conservative when it comes to the wedding.

"I was thinking," I start, "maybe we could have a sort of potluck. I mean, it's a way to save money and that way we know there will be something that everyone likes."

"Do I have to make something then?" he says with a mock look of concern. I lightly smack his arm.

"If there is anyone's cooking you should be worried about, it's mine." He laughs.

"You're good at cooking."

"But you're better," I say. "And there's no use denying it. The only thing I can cook is sugar cookies."

"I think that qualifies as baking."

I shoot him a glare from the passenger seat. He laughs it off. I would slap his arm harder, but he's driving and that would be a terrible idea.

Without thinking, I close my eyes and then awaken as we pull off the highway into North Platte. Good thing I slept... two hours. Yep. That will get me far.

"What shall we do?"

I sigh and pull out my phone. I google 'things to do in North Platte Nebraska' and I click on the first website that looks promising.

"We could visit: the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center, Union Pacific Railroad Bailey Yard, Cody Park, Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, Fort Cody Trading Post, Lincoln County Historical Museum... These are just six out of nineteen suggestions."

"Choose any one you want," he says. "It doesn't matter as long as I'm with you." I blush and scroll through the options.

"How about Lake Maloney State Recreation Area?" I show Al the map. He studies it for a while before continuing driving. He has such an impressive photographic memory.

Driving along the roads, I can see that North Platte is a cute little town. Not much to see though.

When we arrive at the park, we can see the campground and the boats on the lake along with fishermen wading around with their poles extended in front of them. I bet it looks really gorgeous when the sun is setting. The light reflecting off the water is bright and I have to squint.

Al wraps his arm around my shoulders and I lean into him. I let my head rest on his shoulder.

"I don't know if I say this enough," I say, "but I can't wait to marry you."

"Me either, sweetie." He kisses the top of my head. "I love you."

"I love you more."

Of course, he disagrees with me. We go back and forth disagreeing until I inch closer to kiss him. Al also has a talent for hiding his passion from showing too much, but I can feel it every time he kisses me.

After a while of walking around the park and snacking on granola bars from the car that inch closer to their expiration date, we trade places and I take up driving for a while. I keep driving down the highway for what seems like a day. I don't know how Al got us here, even though I am only complaining because I had nothing to concentrate on while he was driving.

"You're welcome to take a nap," I say. "It should be about three and a half, four hours or so."

"I'll sleep when we get to Omaha."

I start laughing. "Sorry. That sounds like a country song." This makes him laugh too.

We are spending the night in Omaha before we head through Iowa. From there we will drive into Milwaukee and finish up this trip in Chicago where we will work on more wedding details.

I can't focus on those now, but I must say I am excited to.

I never saw myself in a serious relationship before I met Al. It never really mattered to me. To get married or not, it was never a big deal to me. I would let life take me where it went.

I quickly glance over at Al who has not slept in nearly ten hours. I smile to myself as I shift my gaze back to the road ahead of me. I could not be more pleased that this is where my life took me. Even if it means driving a total of nearly nineteen hours just to see my friends and family.


	9. Nebraska

Chapter Nine

Tris

When we reach Omaha, it is getting darker. I expect this much since traffic is getting crazier. School is getting out and families are traveling all over.

It is best that we stay in a hotel for the evening, so we find one close to the highway for our journey tomorrow.

Snacking on a few things and flipping through channels to find something interesting is how we spend the next hour or two. Unintentionally we begin to nod off. We _have_ had a long day.

I take my toothbrush from the small bag I brought. I brush my teeth, wash my face, go to the bathroom, and put on my pajamas. I walk into the other room and Al goes into the bathroom while I hop on the bed. I take my phone from the nightstand close by and review what we have to do left.

Book the officiant, the photographer, the caterer, and deal with the music. Oh yeah, we were going to make a playlist for the wedding and I have been meaning to ask Gage about being the officiant. Al and I will have to think about the other two. We don't need to decide now. We have a few more months.

Al walks out of the bathroom and plops down on the bed beside me. I put my phone back on the nightstand and roll onto my side to face my fiancé. I snuggle closer to him and he wraps an arm around me.

"I just heard from Caleb," he says. "He found a date for the wedding."

I don't look up. I snuggle closer and let my eyes rest, but I do inquire about this news. At first I think it is Eden because that's who he was dating last, but I think I remember him saying something about her leaving him. It is obviously not her.

"That's great," I mumble tiredly. "What's her name?"

"He didn't say, but he sounded excited."

"Didn't he call you last month and ask you for advice or something?"

"Yeah," Al says, "but he didn't mention a girl's name. All he said was that she was younger and he was concerned and confused. I don't think he liked my advice." I can hear the smile in his voice as he pulls me closer.

"I'll ask him when we next see him."

"That will be soon."

I let myself smile before my smile falters due to my sleep deprivation. For as tired as I am, my mind races. When was the last time I saw my brother?

 **Two Christmases Ago**

Don't be nervous, I tell myself. There's no need to worry.

"Chill," Skyler says, not unkindly. "They're your family."

"I know," I say. "I don't know why I'm so anxious. Maybe it's because they've never been to Colorado."

Skyler walks over to my bed and pats me on the shoulder and runs my back. "There is nothing to worry about. I think you're excited. That's all it is." I nod.

A knock on the door makes me jump, but it's just Al. He greets Skyler and shuffles over to my bed to kiss my forehead. He says nothing. All he does is sit next to me and wrap me up in his arms.

"You guys are really cute," Skyler says. We look at her and smile. Sometimes she reminds me so much of Christina.

"You're welcome to stay," I say. She shakes her head.

"This is your holiday. I was going to the park with Gage to have a snowball fight." I laugh at the images in my head. Gage would not stop throwing snowballs at Sky, but she would be more calculated and make the hits count.

"Roommate vs. Roommate," Al teases. She laughs and exits the dorm in her puffy coat, two pairs of gloves, snow boots, beanie, and scarf. If it were not cold and snowy, Skyler would never wear a beanie. I got it for her for occasions like these. It is a dark purple and her name is embroidered on it in blue letters.

A while later a knock on the door startles me again. I take a deep breath and open it. My parents and my brother rush at me at once to hug me. I haven't seen them in over a year.

I didn't notice Al stand and walk over to us. After Mom lets go of me, she embraces Al. Mom has always liked him. Dad squeezes me tightly while Caleb and Al bro hug. I think the bro hug is stupid, by the way. Just hug it out like real men. Then Caleb and Dad switch. I haven't hugged Caleb since we said goodbye at the airport.

It's a really small dorm, which brings the five of us closer. Caleb pulls up a chair to occupy the space between the two beds. Mom and Dad sit on my bed and Al and I sit on Skyler's.

I bring the sugar cookies over with my best Christmas-y designs on them. We nibble on those and catch up with an unlimited amount of stories.

As the day proceeds and turns into night, we light some candles and turn the radio on.

The 'rule' was for a gift exchange this year was Secret Santa. I had drawn Dad's name and I know Al drew Caleb's. We suggested Mom start since this was her idea. She agrees with a smile and hands a small package to Al.

"It's for Beatrice too."

Thanks for my mom overlap as Al opens it carefully. It contains two sides of a necklace. A heart split it two pieces that match up when pressed together. Both heart sides have letters in them. On one side are the letters AL, for Al clearly, and the other half are the letters IS. Holding the two halves together it spells out ALIS.

"I had some help from your friend Christina. I had to ask her what your couple name is." Al easily puts his own necklace on and then he helps me put mine on.

I bought Dad a few books. One of them is about the history of Colorado. Ever since I told him and Mom I wanted to attended the University of Colorado here, he has taken to a sudden fascination with the state.

Dad got Mom a really beautiful bracelet with their initials as cute little charms. It is a gold chain with the a heart decoration between ATP and NAP. Really cute.

Caleb made me a scrapbook made up of pictures of our childhood. I skim through the pictures as Al gives Caleb his present. I look up to see what it is. It's an ornament that says #1 Teacher.

"I wanted to get you a cat, but I didn't think your dorm would allow it."

Caleb's eyes light up. "You were going to get me a cat?" Mom and Dad chuckle.

"A friend of ours cat had kittens recently and they need good homes and I thought of you."

I expect Caleb to be his usual calm/excited self. Instead he practically jumps out of his chair fanboying over cats.

"I love my ornament too, thank you."

 **Present day**

I still have that necklace and Caleb still doesn't have a cat. Oh well.

To this day I can't believe Mom asked Christina for help. I didn't know she knew how to get ahold of her.

Actually I do, never mind.

 **Sophomore year of high school**

"Mom," I say. "These are some of my friends. This is Will and Christina."

"Hello Mrs. Prior," they say, slightly off beat from each other. Mom smiles and greets them.

"Hello Will and Christina," she says. "It's nice to meet you."

Exchanging small talk for a while I try to pull my friends upstairs to my room, Mom manages to embarrass me more than she has in the last eight years.

"Before the three of you go upstairs," she starts, "I think we should exchange phone numbers. Just in case." Mom eyes me briefly with a little smirk. What does... I can't believe this. She's willing to stalk me through my friends.

I blush and drag Will and Christina upstairs when the opportunity presents itself.

"Your mom's nice," Will says genuinely. I roll my eyes and Christina snickers.

 **Present day**

I let my mind drown in the happy memories as I drift off to sleep.


	10. Iowa

Chapter Ten

Tris

The rest of Nebraska is just a vast land of fields and the occasional cow or something. There really isn't much of interest. Though nothing is interesting when you're driving on the highway.

I drove for a while before Al took over again. I don't think it will be much longer to Iowa. We're planning on stopping in Des Moines for gas and then I'll drive into Milwaukee. Al drove for most of the trip and he deserves a break. Besides, I think he would be a bit nervous driving through Milwaukee. I know my way through the city better.

While we zip through the rest of the cornhusker state, I remember the day Al proposed to me. I am filled with happiness at the memory and I can't help but smile. I have his speech memorized. I can recite it by heart. There is something that stands out to me. It wasn't in his proposal speech, but it was when we were talking about wedding details Monday after class.

The idea pokes at my mind for three miles until I look up the pros and cons of it with the little wifi I have in the middle of nowhere.

"Anything interesting?" Al asks. I look over at him to see his beautiful smile.

"I remember what you said when we first started planning the wedding," I say. "That it didn't matter to you if we got married at the courthouse or if we had an incredibly fanciful wedding. What if we did elope?"

"That is of course an option. Whatever makes you happy."

Considering all of the things we've done for this-we already sent out save the dates and got the wedding party together, and we're halfway to Chicago give or take a few miles-it's too late.

"No one would criticize our decisions," I say.

"I am currently playing devil's advocate," Al announces. "They could, I'm not saying they will, but they could criticize our decision to elope instead of having a big to do wedding."

"It would save us a lot of money," I add.

"True, but with the path we're taking now, we're not spending much money."

There are two reasons why we want to save money. Three really, because who doesn't want to save money for something more important than hiring someone to sit around and hit buttons to get music to play when there are inventions like iPods. The less important reason why we want to save money is because we're college students. What college students have money to throw around for a wedding?

But the most important reason why we want to save money is because it would be vastly ideal to live together. We are trying to find a cheap place to live that doesn't look like it's going to fall apart the moment you walk in.

When it comes to living together, I have no fears. The only thing that plagues my mind is where are we going to live? Should we stay in Colorado where things are a bit cheaper than Chicago. But we'd be paid higher in Chicago so houses would be easier to afford. Ugh.

I open a new tab and start typing. I continue listing things as I start my new research.

"Skyler, Victoria, and Gage wouldn't have to drive up to Chicago," I say.

"For our wedding, I don't think they'd mind." That's true. The three of them are so amazing that they would do it without complaining. Or they could fly.

Okay. The cost of housing in Chicago, on average in 2021, is almost $300,000 in some places. In Fort Collins, on average, the housing is... actually more expensive. Wow. I'm glad I did my research.

"Or we could get married at the courthouse and have a reception later," Al suggests.

"Then we might as well have an actual wedding."

"Good point."

I look back at the median house prices listed on the internet. Some of these houses are differently priced depending on how many bedrooms there are.

Another thought just occurred to me. What if we need more bedrooms than one? What if Al wants our house to have more than one bedroom?

"Anymore scenarios?" he asks sweetly. I sigh and toss my phone back into my purse by my feet.

"We never really talked about this," I say, "and I think we should since we're getting married in a year." My voice trails off. I don't know how to bring it up. I should just say it. Al is the most loving and understanding person in the world.

I take a deep breath and exhale quietly. "Do you want kids?" I peek through my eyelashes to see his expression. His eyes are in the road, but I have never seen them so bright. I can tell he is smiling so hard it is the reason for the pink tint to his cheeks.

He takes a deep breath before answering calmly. "Yes," he says. "I do."

"Cool," I reply awkwardly. I chuckle nervously. "Me too."

I am about to ask how many and also where he thinks it would be best to live, but we have reached Des Moines. Once we stop at the closest gas station, we switch places and I take to the wheel again.

"I think we should stick to our original plan," I say. "We've already gotten this far."

"I think so too."

As I drive and the radio cuts out, Al starts our conversation again. The one about kids.

"So how many do you want?"

I smile. I can hear him holding back his excitement. Al has always liked kids. He's always been good with them. I am not at all surprised he wants his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he said he wanted nine.

"I'm okay with one."

"Can I possibly convince you that we should have more?"

"How many do _you_ want?" I say with a smile. Convincing me will take some effort.

"Five."

This will be a fun way to spend my life. I couldn't be more ecstatic.

"Pros and cons list?" he jokes. I laugh. "More shopping for baby clothes. Shopping for baby clothes is so much fun."

"Have you ever shopped for baby clothes before?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"Not quite," he says. "But when I went to the store with my mom, I'd always admire the baby clothes and mentally pick out cute little onsies and pretty dresses and snug little pants and adorable shoes and cute shirts and... I really like kids."

With an adoration for kids like that, and how much he loves them, I don't think it will be hard for him to convince me.

"You'll be a great dad," I tell him. I let go of the steering wheel for a moment to hold his hand.

"You'll be a fantastic mom."

"In like five to seven years," I add. I don't want kids right away.

"I was going to say, like, thirteen to fifteen, but if you want kids sooner, I'm cool with that."

We share a smile and I continue driving through Iowa.


	11. Grandma Wright

Chapter Eleven

Tris

The familiar streets of Milwaukee greet me as I exit the highway. There was no point in stopping anywhere in Iowa unless it was a necessary rest stop or something of the like. Maybe for snacks, but we wanted to get to Wisconsin as soon as possible.

As soon as we cross into the state, Al can't stop talking about how excited he is to meet my grandmother. I give him a few details about her. Some things about her past, how she adopted my mother, raising a daughter on her own. I know nothing about my mom's biological parents and I never ask. She doesn't bring them up for a reason. There is the possibility she doesn't remember anything about them.

My grandmother lives on Martin Drive. It has been known as one of the safest neighborhoods in the west side of Milwaukee. My parents never had a problem with me and Caleb staying over at her house for the weekend.

As soon as I pull up in front of her classic tan house, Al's enthusiasm turns to nerves. He sits almost completely still except that his leg is bouncing rapidly.

"It's okay," I say. "Pretend you're talking to your own grandma." He nods anxiously and exhales.

"Does she know we're coming?"

"Of course." I unbuckle my seatbelt. "I called her a week ago." He nods again.

I finally convince him that everything will be okay and we walk up the stone path to the porch. I knock on her door and wait patiently for my grandmother to come along.

The door swings open not ten seconds later. Grandma gets a big smile on her face and squeals with delight as she wraps her arms around me. Her white hair is back in a bun with a few pieces falling out of the bobby pins. She smells like apples and banana bread.

"Beatrice," she says, "how lovely it is to see you again."

She pulls away to invite us inside. Al and I manage to find room on the couch. Grandma sits on the other side of me since she only has one piece of furniture in the living room that isn't falling apart. The chair is done for and the loveseat has a spring popping out of the cushion.

"Grandma," I say, "this is my fiancé, Al."

"Oh, I have received many a wonderful emails about you," she says. "Beatrice and Natalie just love you. Especially Beatrice. She loves you very much."

If Al is still nervous, he shows no signs. "And I love her," he says confidently. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Wright."

"You can call me Olivia. Everyone else does." That's true. I have never heard of one person that has not called her by her first name, sans me, Mom, and Caleb. Dad calls her Olivia, neighbors call her Olivia, I remember the teenagers who worked at the grocery store call her Olivia. Though those teenagers probably have kids of their own now. Their kids probably work at the grocery store.

"I'm so glad you came to visit," Grandma says. "I haven't seen you in almost ten years."

"Has it been that long?" I was fifteen last time I saw Grandma. I am nearly twenty one now. So five or six years. Close enough.

"You and your brother came over to say goodbye and I made those peanut butter cookies." I certainly remember those cookies.

"I remember," I tell her, even though I'm drawing a few blanks.

"How is your brother? I haven't emailed him in a few months. He must be busy with school."

"He is," I say. "He's doing great. He just did some student teaching. He wants to be a high school history teacher."

"I always hated history," Grandma says. "Good on him for taking up the boring classes and making them fun." I snicker behind my hand. Al coughs to cover up his laugh. "What do you two have going on in school? Natalie tells me you live in Colorado."

"Yes," I say. "I am majoring in business and minoring in psychology in case business doesn't work out." Ms. Wu inspired that.

"I'm majoring in biology," Al says. "I haven't decided what to do with that yet, like what career options to choose from."

"How wonderful for you both. Are you heading down to Chicago for a while?"

"Yeah," I say. "We're staying for a couple of weeks before heading back home."

It feels strange to call Colorado home. It's not really a home, it's where we go to school for four years and then do with our lives what we may from there.

"Well that's fantastic," Grandma says. "I'm happy for you two. I can't wait for your wedding."

Al and I look at each other and he hugs me closer with one arm around my waist. Without thinking too much about it, I lean in closer to him and press my lips to his. Instantly remembering where I am, I force myself to pull away.

A blush spreads across my cheeks when I look back at Grandma, but she looks at me like nothing happened.

"Am I going to get to see my great-grandchildren?" I blink a few times to process this. There has been a lot of talk of babies. Al and I just got done talking about it, when I called Mom to tell her I got engaged she thought I was pregnant, now Grandma mentions kids. I wonder if someone is going to have a baby soon. And it's not me. I know it's not me.

Christina? Wait. What if it is Christina? I would be so happy. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. She has said nothing to me. I'm probably making a big deal out of coincidences. But I hope it's Christina.

"I hope so," I say. But I'm not planning on kids for a median of ten years. I hope Grandma can make it to be ninety. "We want to wait before having kids."

"Good," she says. "Don't rush into anything serious until you have talked it over."

"We've talked about it a little bit," Al adds. "We just want to wait for a few years."

"Well then good for you for doing what you want. Listen. When your mother told me she was pregnant with Caleb, I got really excited. It doesn't take long for grandma fever to set in. Don't let anyone pressure you two to have kids before you're ready. Both your mothers can wait." I smile.

"Thanks Grandma." She smiles her cute old lady smile and pats my knee.

"Any time, Beatrice."

It's time to go soon and we say goodbye to Grandma. She gives us a hug and promises to see us again next year at our wedding.

We get back in the car, me in the driver's seat and Al beside me. Leaving now would give us just enough time to meet with Will and Christina before it gets too late.

"I like your grandma," Al says. This makes me happy.

"She really likes you," I tell him. "Everyone in my family does."

I pull out of the driveway and head in the direction of Chicago.


	12. Reunited

Chapter Twelve

Tris

I smile at the welcome to Chicago sign as we approach it. Flashes of the good times I've had in Chicago flood my mind as I get off the highway. I do my best to keep within the speed limit, but I'm so excited to be back I want to rush home to see my parents. And change my clothes. I've been in the same clothes since Omaha and I feel gross.

Al and I easily agreed to see our parents first and then go out with Will and Christina. Al texted her earlier and told her that we'd call as soon as we got settled in.

I drive to Al's parents house first since it's closer. I'm slightly nervous since I haven't seen Aleena and Lyle since Al and I left for college. They didn't come down to Colorado to visit or anything. But I know they like me enough.

Al takes his bag of clothes and some other belongings with him. He is staying at his parents house while we visit for a couple of weeks. I will stay with my own parents.

Aleena is already at the door when we walk up the pathway. She smiles and is quick to wrap her arms around Al in a hug. I know that Aleena isn't the tallest woman in the city, but she sure looks tiny compared to Al. I think she's an inch or two shorter than me, but at the moment she's also in heels.

"I'm so happy to see you again."

Al moves aside and I walk inside the house. It looks exactly the same since I was here last. The furniture hasn't change in the slightest. No new pieces of art hanging from the walls. Everything is the same.

Aleena gives me a hug too, but she certainly doesn't have the same interest to see me that she does Al. But then again, Al is more interesting and nicer than I am.

"How are you, dear?"

"I'm doing well," I say. "How are you?"

Aleena sits me down on the couch and words pour out of her mouth. She describes how she sees my wedding day to go. All of her ideas are rather extravagant and expensive. She didn't answer my question and she doesn't stop talking to let me explain how Al and I planned out the wedding.

Lyle walks in from the other room and smiles sweetly.

"Give her room to breathe, Aleena," he says. "Hey kiddo! How are you!"

"I'm good! How are you?" Lyle squeezes my shoulders instead of giving me a real hug, which I am totally okay with.

"I'm just fine. Little more than a year. Excited?"

"Thrilled."

After a while of sitting awkwardly with Al's parents who keep talking about the wedding, in fact they talk to each other about the wedding more than they do me, Al walks down the stairs with fresh clothes on. I smile and he sits in the chair opposite of the couch the rest of us sit on. I am in between Al's parents and I feel kind of awkward. He just smiles at me, which makes me blush.

"Do you have a location in mind?" Aleena asks.

"We have an idea," I say, "but we're waiting to make sure it's available before we do much about it."

"What have you done for the wedding so far?" Aleena's eyes shine. I don't know what to say. She imagines the fanciest wedding since Kate Middleton and Prince William's. And the wedding Al and I have planned is nowhere near her expectations.

I don't care if Aleena doesn't like the choices we have made, but I understand why that article was pro eloping.

"Not much," Al says. "We have a while. We're checking on the venue. We have the wedding party and guests figured out."

I am literally saved by the bell. The clock chimes five and Al "reminds" me that we have to get ready to meet with Will and Christina. I nod and slowly stand. Aleena and Lyle give me an awkward hug and hug Al with more ease and comfort.

Al offers to drive to my house and I let him. I am kind of tired, but I bet he is too.

"You're still nervous in front of my parents," he says with a smile.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Not at all," he says. "I think it's endearing. Shyness is cute on you."

"I'm not shy," I protest, "I just don't know if your mom likes me. I want her to."

"Don't take it personally. She doesn't think anyone is good enough for me."

"My parents don't think anyone is good enough for me and they love you." He just chuckles and that ends the conversation.

Driving down the familiar streets is calming and it gets me excited to see my family. My parents know I am coming down and of course that I'm staying with them, but does Caleb know? Is he going to be here? If not, I'll see him in the next few days, but it would be nice. I miss my brother.

We park in front of my old house and sit in the car for a moment. I unbuckle my seatbelt and Al pops open the trunk. I grab the bag I brought and carry it to the front door. And just like Aleena, Mom is waiting at the door with a smile. I drop my bag by the door and give her a hug. Dad comes downstairs and embraces Al in the bro hug. How has that not gone out of style? No matter how many years it's been, I still think it's stupid. In fact it gets stupider each year it hasn't died out.

Mom releases me and practically shoves Dad out of the way to hug Al. Dad wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.

"How are you?"

"I'm really good." He smiles and pats my shoulder in a dad way.

"I'm going to change," I announce. "I've been in these clothes since Omaha. I'll only be five minutes." Dad laughs. I don't see what's so funny, but I head upstairs and walk into my old bedroom.

I set the bag on the bed and look through the clothes I brought. The rest are back at school. I toss my clothes on the bed. Ugh. I have nothing to wear. Will and Christina won't care what I wear, but I do, for once.

Finally I settle on a gray shirt and black jeans. It's not going to be a fancy affair.

I walk down the stairs to hear Dad tease, "That was five minutes?" I look at the clock and it's about five forty.

"Time means something different to women," Mom says. I smile and sit down next to Al.

"I texted Chris," he says. "She said she's ready whenever you are." I am about to interject, but Mom opens her mouth before I can.

"Go hang out with your friends," she says. "We have a while to talk about anything you want." She adds on a wink at the end. I try to subtly roll my eyes.

Not long after, we head out to the mall where we agree to meet Will and Christina. I tell Al the story of my shopping trip with Christina in sophomore year.

"Of course I wanted to protect you from Peter," he says. "I still will."

"What happened to him?" I ask.

"You know, I don't know. I think he left for college."

At least he won't be around for the wedding. I had a nightmare that Peter was there. He wasn't doing anything wrong per se, but just him sitting there made me uncomfortable. I woke up sweating.

Pulling into the parking lot, we mentally prepare for Christina's loud voice and Will's calming effect which has little effect on Christina when she's excited about something.

I decide to text Will when we walk inside. I ask him where would be a good place to meet up. Once a decision has been made we walk in that direction. It happens to be the department store I bought my brown jacket from.

"Almost a year to go," I say.

Christina almost starts crying when she sees us. She flings herself at me and squeezes me so tightly it's hard to breathe. I notice, and am thankful, Will and Al actually hug instead of bro hug. I rarely cry and this moment is convincing me that I should.

"How are you?" she starts. "What have you been up to? What have you planned? I've missed you so much! Tell me everything!"

"I'm good. We haven't planned much, we're trying to cut back on expenses, so that's been interesting. I've missed you too. You have no idea."

She hugs me again.

"Don't crush her, Cotton Ball," Will says.

"Sorry," she says as she pulls away. She then rushes over to Al and Will gives me a hug too.

"How have you two been?" Al asks.

Once Chris lets go of Al, we take a stroll down the mall.

"We're doing great," Will says. "We're going to move in together this summer."

I gasp. "That's wonderful. I'm so excited for you."

I can imagine the cuteness now. Them waking up together every morning, making breakfast together, staying up late and watching scary movies. Ugh, cuteness overload. I can't wait to actually hear about these things. Decorating for the holidays and cute cuddles and then in twenty years from now, adorable kids running around that are the perfect blend of their parents.

I just ship them so much.

"How are Skyler and the others?" Chris and Will have never met Skyler, Victoria, and Gage, but we've talked about them. Just like they talk about their new friends.

"They're good," Al says. "Skyler's going back to New York for quite a while, I think Gage is going to the mountains, Vic is going to a cousin's wedding in Montana."

In turn Miranda is doing well. She's got a nice boyfriend. I hope he's better than Drake. At least he cares about Skyler.

"Have you picked out your dress yet?" Christina asks randomly.

"No, not yet," I say. "I'm assuming you want to be there for it."

"Can I?" Her smile begs me to let her tag along. Of course I want her there, but the problem is that Gage wants to be there too. I don't want to pick out my dress in Fort Collins and then drive it all the way back up here. But there isn't a chance Gage and Christina are going to meet in time for both of them to be there.

"I would love it if you were."

"That gives me an idea," Christina says with a devious smile.

"I'm not a part of this," Al says with his hands in the air. Will laughs and I have a gut instinct that I'm going dress shopping soon.


	13. Say Yes to the Dress

Chapter Thirteen

Tris

After dinner with Will and Christina last night, Al drove me back to my old house. He kissed me goodnight and made sure I got inside safely. I waved to him from the window before he drove back to his house.

I explained what a great time I had with my friends, which Mom and Dad were happy to hear about.

"Hey Mom," I said before I went upstairs, "Christina convinced me to go shopping with her tomorrow. Want to come?"

"I would love to." She knows what I mean by shopping.

* * *

"How's this one?" I ask. Mom and Christina are biting their lips. Gage, who I'm face timing with, looks at me with puffed out cheeks and slightly wide eyes.

"Do you like it?" Mom asks.

"Well..." I look at myself in the mirror. I look like a little girl trying on her mother's clothes for dress up. "Not really."

"Good," Chris says. "It looks like it's falling down. The straps are too long and, no offense, but your boobs aren't big enough to keep the dress up."

I reevaluate myself. My boobs do look small. I mean, they are, but they look really small now.

"I was going to say it looks a little big," Mom says. "But that's okay."

"I'm just going to veto it right now," Gage says. "Kindly."

The next one is made of lace with a white slip underneath it. It is very tight and stuff. It falls a couple of inches above my knees and the sleeves are a few inches above my wrists. It feels scratchy too, like an old sweater.

"You can say what you really feel about this one because I don't like it either."

"It looks very painful," Christina says. I nod sadly.

"You don't look comfortable," Mom adds. I don't. I feel like the dress is a cage. And I'm going to try to tug the sleeves down to my wrist and then I'll tear the dress. The sleeves really bother me.

"I kinda like it actually," Gage says with a laugh. "But I'm not wearing it, so... Not up to me." I shake my head.

Taking off the dress is harder than putting it on. It feels like a second skin. A second itchier skin. Finally getting it off feels nice, but I think there are red marks on my body from where the lace rubbed.

The next one is... not bad. I feel like Katniss in a way. It's basically a white version of the dress she wore to Snow's mansion in Catching Fire. So naturally it's a no.

"I think you look so beautiful, sweetie," Mom says. "It's definitely my favorite so far."

"I like it too," Christina says. "You do look gorgeous. It's my favorite too."

"You look stunning Tris," Gage adds. I smile at their sweet comments.

"Thanks guys, but I don't like it."

My friends and Mom look shocked. It takes them a second to comprehend what it is I just told them.

Before Christina can open her mouth and just as Mom does, Gage says, "Okay. That's totally okay. Choose the dress that you want. It's your day. I got a text from Victoria. She sent me a pic of her cousin's dress and she hates it."

I give a little gasp.

"I think what he means," Mom says, "is that no one has to like it but you. If you like it and are happy with it then that's all that matters."

"Thanks," I say shyly. I awkwardly make my way back into the dressing room. The dress comes off easily and the next one slips on easily. Oh, goodness. This one is definitely a no go.

I feel embarrassed walking out of the dressing room.

"I thought you would want to make fun of this one." It is a sleeveless dress that is more pink than white and is covered in sparkles.

"It's interesting," Mom says with a smile.

"Wow," Christina says.

"If you're not going to wear it," Gage says, "can I? It looks nice from here and I love the sparkles."

"Be my guest," I tell him. "It might be a little small, but I think you can pull it off." He smiles and I shuffle back into the dressing room.

I have problems with the next few dresses. The next one doesn't feel right, the one after that looks like something Grandma Olivia would have worn if she got married, and the one after that looks like something straight out of a musical.

"Don't give up, honey," Mom says.

The next dress isn't terrible. I kind of like it, actually. It's a good length, it will be nice for a summer wedding, I like how it looks.

"I have one more to try on, but what do you think?" I walk out to see my mom and Chris and Gage on a tiny screen.

"I think it's really nice," Gage says with a smile. "What about you guys?"

"I agree," Mom says.

"So do I."

I smile. I really like it too, but I'm still not sure. It doesn't feel right for some reason. I keep smiling, but this dress isn't doing it for me.

Looking at the dress, the last one, I think I might as well try it on. The worst that could happen is that it sucks and I keep looking. It's still really early and it's my first time looking for a dress. But with school I won't have time for fittings and I don't want to carry my dress back and forth.

I don't look in the mirror while putting it on, but once the back is zipped up, I turn to look at it. I smile instantly at my reflection. The dress tightens slightly at my waist, but not so tightly that I can't breathe. The skirt flows out from there, but it's not a ball gown like in Cinderella. Lace covers the top of the dress and it doesn't feel scratchy or uncomfortable. I have never felt so beautiful.

My mom gasps when she sees me in the dress. A smile spreads across her face and her eyes light up.

"Beatrice," she says, "you look magnificent."

"Tris," Christina says with a touch of awe. "You look gorgeous."

"I want to see," Gage cries. Christina shifts the phone in my direction and I walk to the center of the room, so he can see better. I go to smile for him, but I find I'm still smiling from looking at my reflection.

"Holy fudgsicle," he says. I chuckle.

"Do I look like a chubby chihuahua in an upside down umbrella for a dress?" I tease.

"I have no words to describe how beautiful you look. That is my favorite dress. Hands down."

"Please, please, please," Chris begs. "You have to get the dress. If you don't, I will cry."

"You will look so beautiful walking down the stairs," Mom says. She dabs at the corners of her eyes with a Kleenex.

"How did-"

"Al mentioned it while you were changing. I think it's a wonderful idea and your father and I are more than pleased to have the wedding at the house."

"Can I just say that's a great idea?" Gage says. I chuckle.

"Thanks Gage."

"It is though," Christina agrees. "It makes it easier than flying thirty people out to Fort Collins."

I could not be happier right now! I found my dress, I can confirm the venue for the wedding, everything is going to plan. And the best part is that I get to marry Al. That is what makes all of this worthwhile.


	14. It's Official

**Sorry you guys, I know it's been a while, but I've had a terrible writer's block. This is a filler chapter until the wedding planning picks up again in the chapters to come.**

 **Also, I won't be able to update as often as school is going to start soon, but I will update as often as possible.**

 **Love always,**

 **Allison**

Chapter Fourteen

Tris

Al and I return from Chicago at the end of June. We came back around the time Victoria is leaving for Montana. We got to talk with her for a short while on the phone until she had to start packing for her trip.

After returning my bags to my room, we take Al's stuff back to his room. Gage is sitting on the couch munching on popcorn while watching re-runs of _Teen Wolf._ He looks up instantly at the sound of the lock turning and jumps up, nearly dumping his popcorn. He walks toward us with the friendliest smile.

"You're back!" Gage exclaims. He throws his arms around me and Al in a giant hug. "I'm so happy! Thank you! Victoria's leaving in a couple of days and Skyler won't be back until mid-August."

"We're glad to be back," Al says. "What have you been up to?"

"Well, I went to the mountain for a few days and then I came back and played video games. I got a very lovely FaceTime time with Tris."

"You guys FaceTimed?" He sounds interested in this topic. He turns to me and smiles. I adore his smile. It's my favorite thing to look at.

"Yeah," I say. There's no point in not telling him. I mean, he knows I have to get a wedding dress some time. "I wanted his opinion on my wedding dress."

"You got your dress already?" I nod. He is so cute when he is confused. Well, he's not so much confused as he is a little surprised.

"I figured it was a good time. I wouldn't have time to do when we go back to Chicago and I didn't want to haul it back and forth." He smiles and leans forward to kiss me.

By now kissing in front of Gage is normal and it doesn't feel weird. I think he's used to it too and doesn't say anything. In fact, most of the time he smiles. When Al and I pull away, I see that he is smiling as he reaches into the giant bowl he must have gotten a moment ago.

"I think that's a brilliant idea," Al says before he leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose. Automatically I smile. While he doesn't kiss me again, he pulls me close and i rest my head on his shoulder. I twist my body slightly to look at Gage who is smiling.

"We wanted to ask you something," Al says. Gage looks at him with a big smile and bright eyes; wider and brighter than usual. Gage's smile is also admirable. He has perfectly straight teeth and they're whiter than mine. I have to admit that I am slightly jealous.

"Anything." Gage is such a happy soul. He's up for anything. He loves listening to people.

"We were wondering if you wanted to officiate our wedding," Al says.

"Skyler mentioned you were considering it a few months ago," I add. "But, of course, we'd ask you even if she didn't mention that."

Gage's eyes are lively are have so many emotions swimming in them. His gaze shifts back and forth between the two of us. Other than that, he appears frozen.

Suddenly he snaps out of his brief daze. "Excuse me for a moment while I process the most awesome request I have ever been asked." I chuckle and watch him walk into the hall. The door shuts lightly behind him, so lightly I almost don't hear the door click.

I can hear Gage exclaim from the hall rather loudly and then calmly unlocking the door and walking back inside.

"I would love to officiate your wedding," he says softly. He squeezes me and Al into a tight hug like he did upon our return. "Thank you so much for asking me." He hugs us even closer. I try to wrap my arm around him, but I am being crushed in between him and Al. I feel like a sandwich.

"Thank _you_ for doing this," Al says. "It really means a lot since you're one of our best friends."

I can only see Gage grin when he pulls away.

"I better get on it," he says switching from his fun, lighthearted personality to a more serious side. "I don't know how long it's going to take to get my official license. And to get your marriage license ready. I'll be back. I'm going to the library."

Gage darts out of the room and Al and I smile at the eagerness in his footsteps.

"He seems excited," I say. Al chuckles and moves closer for another kiss.


	15. Planning

Chapter Fifteen

Tris

 **November~eight months until the wedding**

Trying to find a good wedding playlist on your own is difficult. There are so many songs I want to play at the reception, but we don't have three days. Al and I are going through our music on iTunes and trying to find songs that we can use. We're looking for romantic songs not in the past five years. We're each making a list and we'll compare notes in a little while.

Let's see. What songs do I have so far?

A Thousand Years-Christina Perri

Flightless Bird/American Mouth-Iron and Wine

Shakespeare-Miranda Cosgrove

Love Story-Taylor Swift

I Want to Know What Love Is-Foreigner

Is 'I Will Always Love You' too dramatic sounding? Nah. I'm adding it.

We Belong-Pat Benatar

Love Me Like You Do-Ellie Goulding

That's it? That can't be it. I scroll through all my songs again, finding some I missed like 'Chasing Cars' and adding them to the list, but it's not enough. I glance at Al's list and half the page is filled with song ideas. Wait. Is that the second page?

Well, I'm slow.

Al and I trade papers and it probably takes him about three seconds to look over my list while I am practically squinting to read all the songs he wrote down in such tiny handwriting and in such a condensed space to make them all fit. Half of them are smudged together because he wrote in pen and he's left handed.

Wow! He thought of a lot of songs I didn't.

Fearless-Taylor Swift

I Think I Love You-David Cassidy

Head Over Feet-Alanis Morissette

My Heart Will Go On-Celine Dion

Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars

I feel kind of lame for not thinking of these. What other songs am I forgetting? Let me finish looking over his list and then we'll find out. Does he listen to nothing but love songs? I can't think up this many even if someone gave me the internet for help. In my defense, I listen to a lot of other love songs. The ones that are about breakups and having your heart crushed. So sad love songs basically.

"I like your list," Al says. I smile and shake my head, continuing on with his.

"Not very many," I say. I think my list has thirty three songs. His has, like, a hundred and thirty three.

"I still like the songs you picked out." He leans over to kiss my cheek before standing and walking to the sink to fill a cup with water. At the same time, the door unlocks and Skyler, Victoria, and Gage walk in.

"I have a slight problem," Victoria says. I set the list aside and move over on my bed so she can sit down next to me. "Skyler is your bridesmaid, and that's totally cool. Gage is your minister, and that's totally cool, but what about me? I don't have a job."

Of course. I should have asked Victoria to do something. I can't believe I forgot about her. I feel awful.

"Want to be in charge of music?" Al teases. "You have one hundred and fifty songs to choose from."

"Good sweet nonsense, no," she says. "I would never be in charge of something I could royally screw up. I'd make a playlist of really romantic songs and then accidentally burn the wrong playlist on a CD and it's all Kanye West." We all burst out laughing except poor Victoria.

"You don't have to worry about that," Al says. "We hate Kanye West."

"How dare you think otherwise?" I tease with a smile. Victoria punches me in the arm lightly and sticks her tongue out at Al.

"It was just a scenario. It doesn't have to be Kanye, it could be really depressing songs about a pet dying or instead of 'Come to Me' by the Goo Goo Dolls, I might burn 'Come Back Be Here' by Taylor Swift. They're next to each other alphabetically, and while it's an amazing song, 'Come Back Be Here' is not a wedding appropriate song."

"Okay," Al says, "well let's see. What else is there that we need?"

"I could pick out flowers," Victoria suggests. "I could set up the gift registry, even though you should have done that since the wedding is getting closer." We did do that already. "I could be the gift keeper."

"My mother has already volunteered," Al says. "But thank you."

"I know," I say, suddenly getting hit with an idea. "Vic, you're majoring in art, you could be our photographer."

Victoria smiles her gorgeous smile and wraps her arms around me so tightly it hurts. The last time she squeezed me like this was when I told her I was engaged. This time she doesn't squeal and this pleases me.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I love you!" She releases me. "I'll have to bring two cameras. One for the wedding and one for my personal use. I've never been to Chicago and I'm really excited!"

"Then you won't be the one to drive when we go up together," Gage says. "You can take pictures from the passenger seat."

"I get the backseat?" Skyler says. "Why?"

"Because you're so picky about the music," Gage tells her. "I can't have you change the station every time a song comes on that you don't like. Some of us like country music." Skyler takes two steps to reach for the pillow on her bed and smacks Gage in the face with it. He remains standing as if she didn't move and smirks at her until she playfully rolls her eyes and we all laugh.


	16. Holiday

Chapter Sixteen

Tris

I stare out the window at the snow. It has been falling for hours and it only gets heavier. I turned on this weather report this morning and it was at two and a half inches at nine. I woke to heavy snowfall and Skyler in a really beautiful red sparkly dress. She refuses to so sit down as to not lose any sparkles. Her blonde hair is piled on top of her head and tied together with a green hair tie.

"Merry Christmas," she exclaims.

"Merry Christmas," I say. I briefly glance down at the clothes I'm in, which is my pajamas. They have polar bears on the bottoms and my shirt is plain white. I wish I hadn't looked at myself because I pale in comparison to Skyler. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't go home for the holidays," I say.

"Too much snow," she says. "Besides, I'm saving my money." I sigh.

"You don't need to," I say. Skyler and I have argued about this before. I'm trying to convince her not to buy any wedding gifts.

"No one said I needed to, but keep in mind that I still need to buy my dress." I sigh again. She can get away with that.

"What color do you want it to be?"

I tell her I'll get back to her as I go take a shower. As I let the hot water run down my body, I try to think. What would be a good color? Maybe different colors for different bridesmaids? I probably should spend some time thinking about it. Oh, well. I can ask Al later for his opinion, even though I don't think that it would matter to him. He would tell me that they are my bridesmaids and the decision is mine. I love him like crazy, but sometimes he can be unhelpful when it comes to wedding details. And whatever I decide he will undoubtedly go along with.

I turn the knob and the water shuts off. I step out of the shower and dry off. I dry my hair before putting on an old sundress of mine that qualifies as my "Christmas dress." Then I brush my hair and apply some mascara and a light hand of eyeliner. Christina tried to teach me how to do my makeup years ago and I was a complete failure when I attempted it on myself, so I only wear makeup on special occasions.

At eleven, Skyler and I head down the hall to see the boys. Victoria is already there when we arrive. She sits next to Gage in a dark green dress and her usually straight hair has been curled. Skyler's boyfriend shows up a few minutes after we do.

Walking into the decorated dorm, I am reminded of the one time my family came down to visit. That was a good day. That was one of my favorite Christmases. This year we recycled the Secret Santa idea from that year.

Though we don't open presents right away. We snack on crackers and different dips and assorted nuts and maple candy. The artificial kind upsets my stomach, so Al trades me his pure maple candy. He likes the artificial taste better, apparently.

The few of us watch holiday movies and wait until it is about four thirty or five. Then the group of us get ready for dinner. Translation: we all make dinner. It is a potluck. Gage, who claims he is the worst cook in the world, prepared the snacks for our pleasure while watching movies. I think it is because he didn't want to cook anything for dinner. But he contributed, so we agree that it's fair.

So we make dinner in the tiny kitchen that is connected to the rest of the dorm. Skyler puts an apron on when she cooks and when she eats so she doesn't ruin her dress. Not a bad idea, but my dress wasn't seventy dollars and there's no need to worry about spilling on a dress I can wash.

"Have you decided," Skyler asks, finishing her bite of mashed potatoes.

I have put minor thought into it because the bridesmaids can choose their own dresses, I think. But Sky would never go for that. "For you, I was thinking brown." She takes a minute to imagine it and she smiles.

"I like it," she says.

"What?" Al asks as he wraps his arms around my waist.

"Bridesmaid dress color," Skyler and I say in unison. I think I will assign Christina and Sarah a blue. I think they would look good in a dark blue.

We start to open presents at seven thirty. I got Gage a s'mores maker. He was so excited he ripped open the box and began reading the instructions. He stands to give me a hug and then he plugs it into the outlet in the kitchen.

Victoria gives Skyler a bracelet that reads 'Victoria Bell is my best friend.' Victoria created it herself. I admire her artsy talents and wish I could do something that awesome.

Gage gives Drake a stationary for him to do his homework in. I think it was more of a hint than an actual gift.

Drake gives Victoria a drawing pad and fabric and gel pens and a lot of drawing materials. She is grateful and excited and begins sketching what she wants her dress to look like for the wedding. Besides being an artist, she is also a fashion designer.

Skyler has gotten Al something small. It's in a flat box. He lifts the lid, smiles, and puts it back on. He thanks her and gives her a hug. He sets it down beside him. I look at him with a raised eyebrows and a smile tugging at my lips.

"What is it?" I ask. He shrugs casually without saying anything. It drives me crazy when he does this. I know it's something important, I can tell by the smile on his face, but he won't tell me what it is. He does this whenever I ask him what he got me for my birthday, even though I always tell him not to get me anything. He shrugs, like he just did, and says nothing. He smiles nonchalantly and dismisses my question. So the present must have something to do with me. I read Nancy Drew books growing up. I'll figure it out.

"Being the last ones left, I did draw your name. And I will use Skyler's present to help me get yours, which will have to be delayed since I couldn't decide in time and then we'd have to wait anyway," Al says.

"What?" I ask.

"Your present is coming, it will just be delayed," Al says.

"You don't have to get me anything."

"That's what you say, but that doesn't mean I'm going to listen. When have I ever listened to you?" he says. I laugh, knowing his statement came out a bit differently than he meant.

"Fine," I say smiling. "Thank you in advance."

"No need to thank me. I was going to get it for you anyways."

Well, now I'm really curious as to what he's planning. Did he remember something I said I wanted months ago? That wouldn't surprise me at all. Al is very attentive and cares very much about what I'm saying.

At eight we said goodbye and Skyler, Victoria, Drake, and I left to go back to our respective dorms. I make sure to quickly call my parents to wish them a happy holiday before going to the computer on my desk. I open up my email and an extra tab. Looking at Skyler in her gorgeous dress, she unknowingly reminded me of the bridesmaid dress colors.

I spend what feels like hours scrolling through images until I find some shades I like. Skyler comes up behind me and asks me what I'm doing as I type the email for Christina and Sarah. I tell her.

"So Christina and Sarah are going to have blue dresses and I have brown?" She smiles. "Those colors must be very symbolic to you and Al."

"They are," I say. His eyes was the first thing I noticed about him.


	17. The Party

Chapter Seventeen

Tris

Al and I decided we would take a trip up to Chicago for spring break. It would be a good time for our friends to have a chance to get to know each other. Christina, Will, Rick, and Caleb have never met Skyler and Gage and everyone except Caleb has never met Sarah, so this will be exciting!

Al said he would drive to Chicago the whole way. Of course Skyler, Gage, and I rejected that idea and offered to switch with him when we needed to stop for gas. If Gage is right about Skyler constantly switching radio stations, I will drive willingly.

When we finally get to Chicago, after a cramped fifteen hour drive, we text our friends and see where they are. Christina, Will, and Caleb are all ready to go. Mom and Dad are excited. In fact they have "been ready for hours." Rick is almost here and Sarah will be here in ten minutes.

Butterflies swarm around in my stomach as the four of us wait for everyone else to arrive. I really hope everyone gets along. I can't help but wonder what it will be like for our friends to meet for the first time. I have friends from all three of my homes, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Fort Collins. I exhale a little shakily and Al squeezes my hand reassuringly. I look up at him and smile. He lets go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I lean into him the way I have for six years.

The first people to arrive and alleviate some of my anxiety are my parents. They are very warm and friendly, like they have always been. They already know Al and Skyler, of course, so I introduce them to our Gage.

"This is our officiant, Gage Grindeland," I say. "He has been a very good friend of ours for years." Mom and Dad smile. "Gage," I continue. "These are my parents."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Prior," he says politely. Gage shakes their hands and talks about himself a little bit. He talks about where he's from, what he's studying, etcetera. They seem very interested, which pleases me greatly, and the only time their conversation ceases is when Caleb arrives.

He makes his way over with a smile and wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up and spins me around in a circle before setting me down.

"How are you, Beatrice?" he asks sweetly. I tell him I'm doing well. He tells me about his final year of college and this girl he's been seeing. I had forgotten her name. Something like Margaret or Mandy or Melinda. Caleb can be extremely vague and it's annoying.

"So," I say in a sing song voice as we walk over to meet the others. "Tell me about your girlfriend. Like, actually tell me about her. I know next to nothing."

Caleb chuckles. "Her name is Makenna, she's studying to be a doctor."

"Where did you meet her?" I notice Caleb tenses a little bit. His pace slows by a nanosecond before returning to its regular speed.

"School."

"She goes to DePaul, too?"

"She does now," he mutters. Before I can ask what that means, Al's parents arrive, then followed by Will and Christina. Rick isn't far behind and then Sarah.

"This is my maid of honor, Christina, and my bridesmaids, Skyler and Sarah," I say. "Sarah and I met in Milwaukee, Christina and I met here in Chicago, and Skyler and I are roommates in college."

"This is my best man, Will, and my groomsmen, Rick and Caleb," Al says. As he explains how he knows them, I can't help but get a flutter in my stomach again. I just love how Al and Caleb are close enough to do this. I had no idea they were such good friends. I knew they were friends, but still.

"And this is our officiant, Gage," Al says, pulling me out of my thoughts. Gage smiles at everyone and says hi. I notice his eyes stop on a particular person. I follow his gaze to see him flirtatiously smiling at Rick and Rick blushing before turning away quickly. I smile to myself. How cute would they be!

"Where's Victoria?" Christina asks.

"She couldn't make it," Al says. "She sends her apologies."

"Makenna as well," Caleb says. That's all right. Becoming a doctor takes a lot of schooling and I could see her wanting to get as many prerequisite classes out of the way her first few years before hitting the heavier books.

Skyler had suggested that Drake stay behind to catch up on school work. He listens to everything she says. I think he thinks if he doesn't want to get his ass dumped he better shape up. I still think she could do better, but then again I think no one is good enough for Skyler.

I spend some time talking with Sarah, catching up and what not. Christina and Skyler and Caleb start up a conversation. Will and Al catch up as well. Mom and Dad are discussing wedding details with Aleena and Lyle. I try not to stare at Rick and Gage, but they seem to having a ball getting to know each other. I have never seen Rick smile so much and I have never seen Gage's eyes so bright.

Everybody shifts around in conversational partners and I move over to talk with Mom briefly.

"Who is Makenna?"

"She's a very sweet girl," Mom says with a smile.

"They met before DePaul?"

"Yes, but they didn't start dating until a year ago."

"What's she like? Daughter-in-law material?"

"Not as much as Al, but she's okay."

I laugh. "Al's a good daughter-in-law?" Mom laughs too. I take a few moments to speak with my future in-laws. Lyle is happy to see me and Aleena is really happy to to talk about the wedding. I placate her for a while before I make my escape to talk with Will. We talk about what I have missed in Chicago over the years and I update him on Colorado.

Later, I can return my attention to my wonderful fiancé. I walk over to him with my arms slightly extended so I can wrap my arms around his waist as he wraps his arms around mine. I rest my forehead tiredly on his chest. No one notices us. Al plants a kiss on the top of my head. I tilt my head back to look at him.

"This is good. This is fun, right," I say. "Everyone's having fun. This will end well in July?"

"Don't worry," he says calmly as he pulls me back into our hug. "Everything is great. It will turn out wonderfully at the wedding, and even if it doesn't, the most important thing is that we are getting married."

I smile and squeeze him closer. I may have had a few second thoughts about getting married right after getting my BA, but I've always known it will be worth it in the end. Al is what makes it worth it.


	18. Put a Ring on It

**To the guest who mentioned the Alis kisses, to be honest I wasn't really paying attention to them. I just write and see where it goes. I will do my best to add more passionate kisses when I can! I'm also not entirely experienced with writing them, but I will do my best!**

Chapter Eighteen

Al

Tris got back from class exhausted. She studied for that test for four and a half hours last night. Right after class she crashed. I managed to get Skyler's attention beforehand and we're standing in the hall.

"I'm going to use my Christmas present," I say. She smiles. I made sure to hide the present Skyler got me from Tris because I know she'd be asking me about it nonstop and then she would snoop until she found it. Skyler gave me a slip of paper that says 'IOU. Redeem at any time and Skyler Alexandra Winters will help you choose Tris' wedding ring.'

"I'm ready! Let's go!" she says. She casually loops her arm in mine and we walk down the hall.

"This is so cool," Skyler says as she opens her car door. "I'm so happy you asked me to help you with something as important as this."

"You're the one that suggested it," I say buckling the seat belt. I look over at her. She chuckles as she starts the car. She carefully backs out of her parking spot and starts down the street.

"But you gave me the idea months ago," she says. I guess I did. I made some kind of offhanded comment that I didn't know how to correctly choose a wedding ring. Skyler offered her assistance and I'd have to be a fool to deny her help.

After a couple of hours nothing stood out. I keep telling myself to not give up. Besides, I don't expect to find a ring on the first trip. Skyler reminds me of this when we stop for gas.

We decide to stop at one more before heading back to school. It's a small shop a few miles south of wherever we are. It looks classy from the outside and like it could fit my budget.

If I hadn't been to nearly a dozen jewelry stores in the past few hours I would say I had never seen so many rings. Though I can say I have never seen so many rings in one day.

I point out rings and Skyler gives me her honest opinion on them. I find one that has onyx instead of a diamond. One of Tris's favorite colors is black.

"I know that you've known Tris longer than me, but I hope that ring doesn't represent her soul." I blink a few times, not knowing how to respond.

"Of course not!" I say.

"Then pick again."

I do. I continue picking again until I have picked nearly half of the store. I point out a few dozen rings Skyler does not like. She makes a new snarky comment with each one.

"I'm sorry these aren't to your liking."

Skyler snickers. She walks over and smiles her usual sweet smile. "I'm sorry," she says. "I just think that the ring should be something special. You know none of them are otherwise you would feel it. But I'm just here to advise, it's not my job to choose the ring."

I think about what she says for a moment. I called her along for assistance, she can make as many comments as she wants.

"Did she mention anything to you about what kind of ring she wanted?"

Skyler smiles. "No. She said that it doesn't matter to her what it looks like. You could get her a ring from a gumball machine and she'd be happy. All she wants is to marry you." I let the words sink in.

"I have a new idea," I say.

Skyler and I return back to the dorm. The entire drive back Skyler's words echo in my mind. 'You could get her a ring from a gumball machine and she'd be happy.' I smile to myself. Whenever Skyler looks over at me to say something, she closes her mouth and smiles, too.

"I think she will love the ring you got her," Skyler says.

In the end I decided to get her a simple band with an engraving in the inside. This is where Skyler's help came in. I wanted the saying to be meaningful. I thought of the first thing I ever said to her. Would that be a good idea?

 _Great. Another year of school. And I'm not even halfway done. I think I have developed the earliest case of senioritis in the history of students. I let my carrot stick fall back into the bag and look up. A girl stands at the table. She has blonde hair that is pulled away from her face. It accentuates her clear blue eyes. I have never seen such gorgeous eyes before. Oh,_ _how I would like I look into her eyes for hours._

 _"Guys," Christina says. "This is Beatrice. She's new here." Everyone else looks at her, most of us smiling. In fact the only one who isn't is Lynn, but she doesn't like many people._

 _"This is Uriah, Marlene, Lynn, and Al," Will says. I open my mouth slightly to say hello, but Marlene and Uriah beat me to it._

 _"Where are you from?" Marlene asks._

 _"I'm from Milwaukee," she replies. Her voice is quiet and nervous. I don't blame her for being anxious at a new school._

 _"That's not far from here_ , _" Uriah says. "Do you have siblings?" she nods._

 _"I have an older brother."_

 _"Does he go to school here?" Marlene wonders. She nods again. So she's shy, too. I think that's endearing._

 _"I have an older brother too," Uriah adds. "Lynn has an older sister, and so does Will." She nods a third time._

 _"How's your first day so far?" I ask quietly._

 _"I guess the first day of school here is the same as it is everywhere. You sit and listen to teachers talk for ninety minutes and try not to fall asleep." Christina begins choking on a crouton. I should offer her a drink_ _or something, but I'm too distracted by the new girl's smile._

That is a weird thing to have engraved on a wedding ring. I also thought about Ryder and Penny.

 _"This friend of mine, Ryder, well, he has a crush on this girl in his c-chemistry class. This girl, Penny, is a real catch. She's really well-liked and she's smart and funny and sweet. He's really into her. Every time I see him all he does is play "Love Story." He can't get her out of his head." Way to go Al, you almost said creative writing. Why don't you just tell her ho_ w _you feel, idiot?_

 _"I don't see how that's a problem. That's great," she says._

 _"He wants to ask her out, but he's afraid she might not like him in the same way. They're friends if that helps."_

 _"I'm not good at giving dating advice, but I'll give it a go. How much does he like her?"_

 _"All he does is think about her. He doesn't stop talking about her, his family and friends are annoyed by how much he talks about her. They encourage him to ask her out, but he's a really shy guy." I thinking of you, Christina._

 _"I think-now this is just me-but I think if he likes her that much, he should do it. If his love for her is stronger than his fear of being rejected than he should absolutely go for it."_

" _He has anxiety," I say quickly. Because I do. And it sucks like hell._

 _"Oh, that complicates things. How long have they been friends?"_

 _"Um... Not too long."_

 _"So there isn't much to lose. They can't be close enough to ruin the friendship if they haven't been friends for very long."_

 _"I think they're very close friends," I say. "But that's just me. From my observations. Not that I'm extremely w_ ell- _aware. They go to a different school. Ryder and Penny."_

 _"Well, I think it's back to if he really likes her and his feelings override his fear. Sure, it must be nerve wracking to ask someone out, but how else are you going to do it?"_

 _"He wants to do it in the easiest way possible."_

 _"The only way she would say yes, is if he asks her face-to-face. It's impersonal to text or email or something like that."_

 _"No, he plans on asking her in person, if he was going to, but my friend gets nervous easily."_

 _"That's hard," she says. "If it were me, I would want it to be as thoughtful as possible. So maybe I should retract my earlier statement. It could be over text, as long as your friend is being sincere, which it sounds like he is." That might help. Good. I have an idea at least._

The day she told me she liked me was one of the most special days of my life. Something one of us said on that day?

" _Hey," she says walking into writing. I look up and smiles at her._

 _"Hi." She takes off her coat and places it on the back of her chair. She takes off her scarf and gloves as well and takes her seat._

 _"How are Ryder and Penny?" she asks._

 _"They're good." I am beginning to feel nervous._

 _"Has Ryder asked out Penny yet?" I shake my head and look away. "Would you like to come over for dinner again, sometime?"_

 _"Really?" She smiles. She likes me? Does she like me?_

 _"Who said Penny can't ask out Ryder?" she says. "Besides, she's done it before-with a different guy-hasn't she?"_

 _I smile. "Yeah she has. He_ r _kindergarten boyfriend."_

 _"If she's dauntless enough to do it at six then why not sixteen?" I_ _blush._

And then Skyler made a good suggestion.

"What about a relationship defining moment?" I thought I was coming up with them, but apparently those weren't good enough.

"Those are very important to our relationship," I argued.

"What is your favorite moment with her?"

"It hasn't happened yet," I said. "We haven't gotten married." And then the idea came to me. Skyler looked at me and that was my confirmation.

We get back to the dorm around seven thirty or so. Tris is sitting at the computer typing. She looks up when we enter and smile. She stands and makes her way over to greet us. Skyler grins and drops her purse off, keeping her key, saying a brief hello before exiting the room.

"Hi," she says as she shuffles her feet closer. She places her arms around my neck casually. Looking into her beautiful blue eyes I can feel my heart racing. I wrap my arms around her waist and she gives me this soft, warm, knowing little smirk. Her eyes skirt down to my lips before finding a spot on the ground. She glances up through her eyelashes. My heart beats faster and my breaths come out short and unsteady. Her gaze climbs from some spot on the floor up to my eyes. I notice that when we stand pressed together the shade of her eyes slightly darkens. She stands on her toes and I lean down and press my lips to hers.

She pulls herself up and deepens the kiss. The scent of sandalwood fills the small space between us. Always having liked the feeling of little space between us, I pull her even closer, if it's at all possible. A current runs through me as her warm lips mold to mine.

All too quickly she pulls away, leaving us both breathless. She unlocks her arms and slide them down my arms, giving me more chills, and takes my hands and steps backward slowly until she falls onto her tiny bed, making me fall on top of her.


	19. The Wedding: Tris

Chapter Nineteen

Tris

My beating heart and butterflies in my stomach made breathing a bit difficult in this dress. Or maybe it's that extra piece of cake I knew I didn't need at my bachelorette party.

"Here," Christina says, handing me my bouquet of lilies. She takes a step back and looks at me with a smile. "You look beautiful!"

Out of habit I look down at myself. "Thanks," I say. "You too."

"Today isn't about me," she reminds me with a smile.

Skyler and Sarah walk into the room with their dresses on and makeup and their hair styled. I open my mouth to tell them they look beautiful, but Christina interrupts me.

"Today isn't-"

"Yeah, yeah," I say dismissively. "You all look gorgeous."

"Have you seen you?" Skyler says. She walks over, takes my hand, and drags me over to the mirror in my room. It is the first time I can get the full effect. I don't look as nervous as I feel. My makeup isn't sliding down my face due to the heat. My hair is neatly piled behind my head. My curls are so tight it kind of reminds me of those things you attach to presents. The curly ribbon bow things, accept not quite to that degree.

A knock on the door turns to attention away from myself and to my dad who peeks his head in.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Yeah," I say sneaking one last look at myself. Christina squeals in excitement and exits my old room first. She waits for Uriah to hit play and "A Thousand Years" begins playing.

Christina sneaks a quick glance at me before joining arms with Will and walking down the stairs to my parents' front room. Three seconds later Skyler and Rick begin down the stairs. Caleb gives me a peck on the cheek before walking down the stairs with Sarah.

I take a deep breath and exhale through my nose. Dad looks down at me and smiles.

"Don't be anxious," he whispers.

"Were you anxious?" I whisper to him.

"Of course," he says with a smile. "But looking back on that day, I had no reason to be. Everything worked out perfectly."

I take another deep breath as we walk down the stairs. As my feet hit that first step down, all of the people in the room stand. Anxiety hits me like a ton of bricks-I hate drawing attention to myself-but the second I look at Al, all of that disappears.

As soon as we make eye contact, we don't look away. I barely notice Gage at first until he starts talking. And he doesn't start with me, so I continue to lose myself in Al's beautiful deep brown eyes. I am only pulled back into reality when he says, "I do."

"Beatrice Prior," Gage begins, looking at me now. But I can't tear myself away from Al to do anything besides repeat after Gage and say "I do."

I try to take the ring from Christina without turning around, but I soon find that difficult and force myself to look away from Al.

"By the power vested in me, in the state of Illinois, and the Internet," Gage mumbles that last bit, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

When I was younger, my fear of drawing attention to myself-okay, maybe it wasn't a fear so much as an inconvenience that made me uncomfortable-by kissing my future husband in front of nth people worried me. But now that it's happening, I don't feel anyone's gaze on me. The only thing I feel is Al's soft lips pressed to mine. I have to remind myself that intensifying the kiss is not the thing to do right now since all these people are watching me, even though it doesn't feel like it.

The sound of applause drowns out the music in the back of the room. I may not intensify the kiss, but I lean into Al when we pull away. I glance at my friends and families in the living room.

Mom is dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Dad puts his arm around her. Lyle is smiling, Aleena looks pleased enough, Grandma Olivia gives me a look of pride. My friends from school are grinning excitedly Uriah, Marlene, Susan, Robert. Lynn gives me a half-hearted smile. Victoria is in the back snapping pictures.

Taking my hand, Al and I walk down the short, narrow aisle Mom constructed. We walk into the backyard where our friends join us. Until everyone inside the house can make it outside, Christina, Skyler, and Sarah crowd around me and give me a big hug. Caleb gives me a hug, squeezing me tightly.

"Let's not crush her to death," Will says. But when Caleb pulls back, he gives me a tight hug, too. Rick follows.

"Don't forget me!" Victoria says. She scurries forward and wraps her arms around me.

"Okay," Sarah says. "Let's save it for later. We have to get ready for the bride and groom's first dance."

"I'm not coordinated," I whisper to Al. "You remember prom." He laughs.

"That's all right," he says. "I forgot all my dance lessons since then."


	20. The Wedding: Al

Chapter Twenty

Al

Inhale exhale. Inhale exhale.

"You don't have to be nervous," Will says. "Everything will be great. You and Tris love each other."

I turn to face him, looking away from the mirror. "I'm just nervous about myself. What if I pass out?"

"Don't lock your knees," Rick and Will say in unison.

"I remember once," Caleb starts, "when we were younger, our family was visiting our dad's brother and it was really hot and humid and we were outside and Tris locked her knees while we were standing around and she almost passed out. It was scary."

The three of us stare at him.

"Sorry," he says. "Yeah, don't lock your knees."

"Also," Rick says, "remember to breathe. Take deep, calming breaths and everything will be fine."

I attempt to take deep breaths for the next few minutes. I bounce around the room, trying to find new ways to lower my energy level to the point where I can stand still. I can manage it for a few seconds at a time when I look out the window.

"I remember staying up late and reading all night," Caleb says sitting on the bed. "Do you remember that scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where Harry is reading under his blanket? I would do that all the time."

By the look on Will's face he might make a sarcastic comment, but recalls that he used to do that, too.

A knock on the door and Natalie sticking her head in the room for a moment signifies it's time.

"Don't worry," she says as we walk down the stairs.

"I'm not worried," I say. "I'm excited."

Natalie smiles and takes her seat in the front row of the small living room. A few friends I recognize from high school are here, a few family members of mine. I stand next to Gage who is almost bouncing with excitement. He talks to me about something, but I can't hear a word he says.

What snaps me out of my temporary daze is the music. Will and Christina walk down the stairs and my heart begins jogging. When Rick and Skyler walk down the stairs, my heart starts running. Caleb and Sarah walk down the stairs and my heart races so fast it feels like a drum.

When Tris walks down the stairs arm in arm with Andrew, whatever worries I have about myself go away. In fact when she walks down the makeshift aisle, I feel calmer.

Tris stands in front of me and on the other side of Gage. Gage's words lightly echo around me, but I'm not paying that much attention. How can I when the most beautiful woman in the world stands before me, waiting for us to be officially married? I can manage to open my mouth to say "I do."

"Beatrice Prior," Gage says. I'm not looking at him, but I can hear his smile. It has always been easy to hear Gage's smile.

Hearing her say "I do" is the most wonderful sound in the world. For the next minute or so I steady myself by staring into her eyes. I like counting the different speckles of blue.

"By the power vested in me, in the state of Illinois, and the Internet," Gage says, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I hate attention. I never thought I was anything special. I hated sitting in the front of classrooms because someone has to be staring at me-and it was easier for the teacher to catch me on my phone. But I don't feel twenty five pairs of eyes on me, only one. And what does it matter if they're staring at me anyway, Tris is the only person I care about looking at me right now. The softness of her lips against mine is all I focus on. The scent of her perfume. The warmth of her glowing skin.

The applause cuts off the sound of the music in the back of the room. I force myself to pull away. Tris leans into me and I wrap my arm around her waist.

I look into the audience for a few seconds to gauge everyone's reactions. Natalie is beginning to tear up and she dabs her eyes with a handkerchief. Dad is smiling, Mom looks happy, Tris's grandmother Olivia looks at her granddaughter with a smile of pride. Our friends from school are looking at us enthusiastically: Uriah, Marlene, Susan, and Robert. Lynn even gives a little smile. Victoria stands in the back, clicking away with her fancy camera, a camera fancy enough I am horrified by being in the same room as it.

Snapping out of my brief daze, I take Tris's hand and we walk down the short and thin aisle Natalie made. We walk into the backyard where our friends eventually join us. Most of the people are still inside and Christina, Skyler, and Sarah crowd around Tris to give her a big hug. Caleb gives her a hug after the girls.

"Let's not crush her to death," Will says before giving Tris a hug, followed by Rick.

"Don't forget me!" Victoria says. She hurries over and wraps her arms tightly around Tris.

Christina, Skyler, and Victoria give me a hug, too.

"Okay," Sarah says. "Let's save it for later. We have to get ready for the bride and groom's first dance."

Tris leans in and whispers, "I'm not coordinated. You remember prom." I laugh.

"That's all right," I say. "I forgot all my dance lessons since then."


	21. The Reception

**Sorry it's been so long guys. School work, the holidays, etc. I hope everyone had a good holiday! All right I've kept you waiting long enough. The reception is here! Also thank you to sample wedding day toasts.**

Chapter Twenty One

Tris

Everyone settles in after the ceremony for dinner. I try my best not to spill anything on my dress since that would be terribly embarrassing and I will be embarrassed enough having everyone look at me in a few minutes when Al and I dance our first dance as husband and wife. But first come the toasts.

"Good evening, everyone," Will says. "Tonight, we are all here to honor Tris and Al. As the groom's _best friend_ , I feel honored to be be here with him on such an important day. We have gone through so much together over the years, and I cannot think of anywhere I would rather be than right here.

"I remember when Tris and Al first met. It was on the first day of sophomore year in high school at lunch. I had met Tris earlier that day in history and we had English together, as well. I was excited to introduce her to the group. When the two of them first made eye contact, I knew that there was going to be something major happening in their future together. And at the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I was hoping it would something as grand as this." A few people chuckle in the crowd before he continues. "From what I've heard, Al has had such an amazing life filled with truly wonderful people, I am thrilled that he has found someone else so amazing to add to the list.

"Tonight, we celebrate the union of our two wonderful friends, Tris and Al. I hope your lives together are full of happiness and love." The audience applauds and Will introduces Christina.

"Um... hi. So, thank you, Will. As Will said, we have gathered here to honor the marriage of Tris and Al. Tris has been such a wonderful friend to me over the years. I cannot express how happy I am to see this day. Ever since that one day at lunch when they talked about those books no one read, let alone heard of, except The Mortal Instruments, I shipped it, I have to say.

"These two wonderful people have devoted themselves to each other, and I know that I'm honored to be in their wedding. Congratulations, Tris and Al, I wish you a lifetime of happiness!" More applause from our friends and families before my father stands. My mom holds onto his jacket sleeve like she was hanging on for dear life.

"Today, I am honored to count Al as a member of the family. I have seen Beatrice grow up into a strong, young woman and I am more than pleased to know she will continue to grow with Al. Not only has he loved her doubtlessly, he has helped her become who she is today.

"Your love is so powerful, faith has been restored in everyone's eyes as we watched you tonight. Natalie and I love you both forever. Congratulations!"

My mother dabs at her eyes with the sleeve of her light sweater that lounges on the back of her chair. I don't know why she didn't just use her napkin. When she has composed herself, Mom as well as Lyle and Aleena give very sweet speeches about us as well. Caleb even makes a toast. After that, Al and I stand, and I hope I don't knock anything over or embarrass myself in front of the group of people here.

"Today, we are honored to stand before all of you and pledge our love to one another. Our lives have only been enhanced by the love brought into it by all of you. We especially want to thank our parents for everything they have done." I take a moment to pause. Victoria snaps a photo from across the backyard. I blink a few times, startled, and a few people chuckle in their seats. "We also want to thank everyone who has helped us on our journey together. Will, Christina, Rick, Skyler, Caleb, Sarah, Gage, and Victoria. And our parents, of course."

"Finally, we want to thank everyone who has come out today," Al adds. "We know some of you traveled long distances to be here and we thank you all for taking the time to celebrate with us. You all are truly special to us, and we would not be here without everyone in this room."

Everyone cheers before I have a chance to open my mouth again, and everyone takes a sip of their drink, unless you're my grandmother who downs her wine.

I guess the speech is done.

Now is the time for my first dance with Al this evening. I step onto the small square of dance floor laid on the grass to make it easier to not sink into the ground. I didn't know how this was going to work out, so I chose not to wear heels. I don't like heels anyway. Christina threw a little bit of a hissy fit at first, but then settled for me wearing fancy flats.

The song begins and luckily it is very slow because I can barely manage twirling in a circle. I barely made it out of prom with both my feet uninjured. I am also thankful Al had suggested "Can't Help Falling in Love" as our first dance together since it is short and we both hate attention.

But I can't even feel my parents' gazes on me as I spin slowly. All I can focus on is Al.

When the song ends, I almost wish it was longer. I didn't realize at the time how lovely it would be to feel graceful even though I stepped on the hem of my dress once or twice and I stumbled more than ten times. It is not the song or even the occasion that makes me feel graceful. It's my husband.

Next I get to dance with my father as Al dances with Aleena.

"I'm proud of you, Beatrice," he says as he twirls me around gently. My father is a great dancer. I did not inherit that gene.

"Thank you," I say. I smile and he can't help but grin, too.

After that I dance with Lyle and Al dances with Mom. We both are nervous for this dance, but I know even if they for some reason suck (they're both better dancers than me) my mother and Al will have fun because they get along so well.

When the pressure is off and more people start dancing, that's when I have the chance to dance with my brother and Gage and Rick and Uriah and Christina, Skyler, Sarah, and all my other friends. After around ten dances I take a break to get a drink. That's when Caleb walks over to me with a girl I can only assume is Makenna based off her description.

"Tris," Caleb says with a smile. "This is Makenna."

"Hello Makenna," I say with a smile. I reach out to shake her hand. "It's lovely to meet you."

"You too," she says. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you! I'm glad you could join us."

"Thank you for inviting me," she says.

"Aw, any girlfriend of Caleb's is a friend of mine," I say. Makenna giggles and Caleb blushes before shooting me a glare and whisking her off to the dance floor.

When it comes time for the bouquet toss all the single ladies get in a group behind me. Instead of playing "Single Ladies" since I always felt embarrassed when I was the single lady waiting to catch the bouquet, we decided to play "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." Gage thought it would be hilarious to play "Move Bitch," but Al and I didn't think that was appropriate, though it's kind of accurate. All the weddings I've been to (like, three) all the girls check their sanity at the door when it comes to this part.

I close my eyes and toss the lilies behind me. I open them a few seconds later and turn around to see the lucky winner. Marlene.

"Sweet," she says. I laugh.

Then Victoria hands me a chair and I sit with my legs slightly outstretched in front of me. I am oddly excited for this part, but I can tell Al won't be with my father staring at him. Oh, well, it's tradition. If my father can do it, so can Al.

With a blush spreading across his cheeks, Al lowers himself to his knees. He shakily moves the material of my dress out of his way. He locks eyes with me the whole time and I smile at his adorable nervousness as he removes the garter. When he tosses it, very quickly, too, Caleb catches it. Mom has a look of excitement in her eyes and I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, mixed with Makenna's enthusiasm, and Caleb's bashfulness.

Towards the end of the evening, and everything begins winding down with Whitney Houston softly playing in the background, Al leans in and whispers, "Thank you."

"For what?" I ask.

"Just being you," he says. "There is no one I would rather spend my life with."

It's my turn to blush and I lean my forehead on his shoulder. I lift it up to look at him again, hoping the hot feeling in my face will have gone away but it hasn't.

"Me either."

Pressing my lips firmly to his I take in every detail of the moment and it is completely perfect. Just like him.


	22. Epilogue

**Thank you guys so much for supporting this story! It really means a lot to me. I will continue writing stories about Alis, I'm 155.63% sure. I will announce my next few projects at the end, but thank you all so much again. It's been really fun writing this story! Also sorry it's so short...**

 **Epilogue: 10 years later**

Tris

I pick up the mail off the floor and shuffle through the bills until I find a postcard from Victoria. I see she went to Paris for the past three weeks.

I've been having so much fun! I wish you could be here. Paris is a beautiful place in the spring. I should be back in Colorado early May. Anyway, I hope you and your family is well. Love you, Victoria

I smile and take the card to the backyard, which is filled with shrieks of excitement. I open the sliding glass door out of my way and enter the backyard.

"Victoria sent a postcard from Paris," I say. Al turns and smiles.

"That's nice! Is she having fun?"

"Yeah."

"Are you getting in the pool Mommy?" Christian asks, his smile wide and eyes bright.

"I have to start dinner soon," I say, "but maybe after dinner." My son giggles excitedly and returns to splashing around.

"Chris," Al admonishes, "be careful of your sisters."

Kayla and Olivia float around in their toddler floaties avoiding the splashes from their brother. Al wades around with them and I smile at the scene.

"When are we going to see Aunt Christina and Uncle Will again?" Christian asks.

"We can see them any time now that we moved back to Chicago," Al says. "And Uncle Caleb and Aunt Makenna."

What pleases me greatly is how much Christian gets along with Jacob and Aaron as well as Will and Christina's daughter Isabelle. Al and I get to spend time with our friends while the kids get to play. They also get to see their grandparents more often, which I am pleased with for two reasons. One, I love my parents and it's nice I get to see them. And two, they are great babysitters.

I miss Victoria, Skyler, and Gage, but we make a point to get together whenever we can. Skyler got a job as a vet and Victoria takes jobs here and there as an artist. She paints murals and has even made her own creations she's hoping will get put into a museum. Gage turned out to be a dentist, which we weren't really expecting. Though he still is the best fashion coordinator in Colorado.

I smile at the memories of my friends, not just my college friends, but my friends from Chicago, my friends from Milwaukee (i.e. Sarah). I have been blessed with amazing friends and family. Ranging from Skyler to Will and Christina to Al and Christian and Kayla and Olivia.

 ***Chris Traeger voice* I literally cannot thank you enough for your support. I am working on a few projects that I will be posting soon. The first is Al's point of view of Brown and Blue! I will definitely post more Alis and I will be posting other stories too, some not so Alis-y, but Alis will always be one of my favorite couples.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Allison :)**


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